sleepyI was six years, five months old in January 1971. One cold and wet afternoon I was bored. After I'd gotten through scouring The TV Guide, I found some ladies magazine from the month before and started looking through it.
There was a picture of Santa Claus which got my attention and alongside it was the famous Virginia O'Hanlon question, "Is there a Santa Claus?" I could read enough to get the gist of her question but most of the answer was lost on me.
I was stunned. It had never occurred to me to question the existence of Santa Claus. Of course, he was real. He had to be real. But now the question was in my head.
I thought about it for a few days and finally decided to ask my mom. I asked her while I was in the tub and the look on her face in reaction to my question was the clincher. She was too shocked to lie.
Damn that Virginia!
