Plot Synopsis

In late 1800s New York City, a playground bully told eight-year-old Virginia O'Hanlon that Santa Claus didn't exist, prompting the young girl to search for the truth and to write a letter to the "New York Sun" newspaper asking whether Santa is real. After Charlotte, the playground bully, tells the children at school that Santa isn't real, Charlotte and her friend Ollie venture into the streets of New York City to uncover the truth. Along the way, they encounter a Scraggly Santa who is trying to raise money for the less fortunate, find an over-eager librarian with a shelf full of Christmas books, and receive interesting advice from Virginia's quirky scientist father and understanding mother. Unable to find the answer, Virginia decides to write a letter to the "New York Sun" newspaper, knowing that their reputation for reporting the facts. Virginia's letter makes its way to the curmudgeonly editor, Francis Church, who feels he has better things to do than respond to a little girl's question. But, with Virginia's determination and a little help from Scraggly Santa, Mr. Church is persuaded to write the answer that became the most famous newspaper editorial of all time: "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus!"