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#1
12-07-2005, 10:18 AM
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When did you stop believing in Santa?
My wife and I were discussing this last night while watching Charlie Brown. We both had older brothers (by 4 yrs) so we both learned that Santa = Parents at an early age.
My brother went so far as to actually show me the presents stash. I still didnt believe him at that point. Until Christmas morning I saw a present from "Santa" that had been in the stash. I was 6, and it was a sad day... So, first, did your parents actually feed you the Santa line? And if they did, how old, and how, did you find out the truth? 
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#2
12-07-2005, 10:21 AM
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I believed until I was maybe 7 or 8.
We were watching old family slides one night when my parents had weekend friends over, and I noticed that my dad had pictures of the tree with the presents under it, but that the cookies, sandwich and milk for Santa were still on the fireplace. I put 2 and 2 togther...
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#3
12-07-2005, 10:31 AM
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I was 6 or 7 and we made the familial exodus to K-Mart or Woolworth's. I was wandering around the store (early 1970s) and walked in to the Boy's section. There was Mom, frantically trying to hide toys under our coats. She looks up at me and barks, "Do YOU believe in Santa Claus?" Knowing better than to lie to my mother, I said "No - not really." She replied, "Good. Now get over here and help me choose toys for your little brother."
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#4
12-07-2005, 10:32 AM
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My parents made no particular effort to either instill the myth or to debunk it. I must have just picked it up through societal ambiance. However, I don't remember ever believing it was true. I knew it was another make-believe thing, like my invisible friends (which I also knew were make-believe).
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#5
12-07-2005, 10:37 AM
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#6
12-07-2005, 10:38 AM
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Like MLS, I don't remember my parents ever going the extra mile to make me believe in Santa (in the interest of full disclosure, though, I'm the product of a mixed-faith marriage, and it's hard to explain to a kid why Santa might bring Christmas presents, but the ones you got for Hanukkah were just from Mom and Dad). I was probably five or six when I came downstairs late on Christmas Eve (which is my birthday--too much cake that year and I felt sick) to find Dad cursing over the bike he was trying to put together for me.
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#7
12-07-2005, 11:15 AM
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My older brothers were more considerate. I remember arguing with one of them when I was 5 (I can easily pin point the exact christmas when it happened). He was trying to convince me that Santa did exist, but I knew better. I wrote a letter to Santa the year before, so I know I stopped believing in him between the ages of 4 1/2 and 5 1/2. I can't remember how I discovered the truth, but I know I was very pissed that my parents had lied to me.
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#9
12-07-2005, 11:20 AM
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I caught my mother sorting candy at the dinner table in the middle of the night. It wasn't a major blow, though--I had thought it was the parents for a long time. I started helping her every year and took pride in the fact that I was putting one over on the sibs.
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#10
12-07-2005, 11:24 AM
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I don’t really remember when I stopped believing, but it was probably around the time when my parents packed up all the kids and drove the 6 hours to my Aunt and Uncle’s house for Christmas. Christmas morning came and my brothers and cousins all had their Santa presents and all I had was a Mother picking me up and saying that Santa must have delivered it to our house instead. Yup my parents forgot my My Little Pony Corral at home
 . Not a happy morning. That kinda tipped me off. Other years my parents went to the trouble of climbing on he roof to make "reindeer prints" and other stuff like that.
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#11
12-07-2005, 11:30 AM
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What do you mean, "stop believing?" What are you trying to tell me?
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#14
12-07-2005, 12:01 PM
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I never believed in Santa, because the tradition in our family was always to leave the presents under the tree for most of December, and then open them on a big family gathering on Christmas Eve. I don't think I ever understood what Santa's role was supposed to be on Christmas, until I found out how other families did it.
Once, though, when I was about nine, on Christmas morning (when all our gifts had already been opened), my parents gave me a gift I really wanted and said it was from Santa. They have a photo of nine-year-old me with a "What the hell are you trying to pull here?" expression.
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#15
12-07-2005, 12:17 PM
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I was 9 and saw my mother's little notebook in her purse with the list. She normally wrote it in shorthand, but was a little careless that year and wrote a couple of them in longhand, so I asked her about it and she caved. Since my brother was only 5 at the time, she asked me to keep the secret. So on Christmas morning, every time I opened a gift, I whispered, "Thanks, mom".
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#16
12-07-2005, 12:24 PM
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...that's because everyone knows that the presents under the tree are from relatives and stuff.
It's the stockings that are from Santa. Duh.  It's not rocket science, folks!*Honestly, some of you talk like there was no fat man in a red suit or something! I believed waaaaay too long (like age 10)-but kept quiet because I was afraid of being teased (story of my life). I did "perpetuate" the myth with my kids--I think there is way too much pragmatism and lack of magic in the world as it is. Why not have something fun and giving and loving? (I never used Santa as a threat to ensure good behavior though, either). *kidding.
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#17
12-07-2005, 12:53 PM
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I know I didn't when I was 6, in first grade, because I specifically remember teasing a girl in the class that my family was going to leave a fire going in the fireplace to burn Santa Claus.
I apologize, Susan. Anyway, in a metaphorical way, I believe in Santa Claus more now than I did as a kid. Don't tell me there's no Santa; I am Santa Claus, bitches! *2 attitude snaps*
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#18
12-07-2005, 01:09 PM
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You're all lying. Lying, lying naughty people. I don't live with my parents any more, I live with my husband. And I still get presents from Santa. Ergo Santa is real and you're all telling lies and I'm not listening to you!
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#19
12-07-2005, 01:18 PM
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:: lower lip quivers ::
Whu whu whu whuddaya mean "stop believing"? :: sniff :: In all seriousness, my parents never made the effort to "instill" a belief in Santa, so I never really believed. Yea, I saw it on TV, but somehow I was able to discern that TV was not reality from a very young age. Yea, yea, not that you could tell from any of my posts ... 
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#20
12-07-2005, 01:21 PM
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I held out until I was 10. In spite of all of the evidence to the contrary, I wanted to believe . Then one Christmas I heard my aunt talking about stocking stuffers and finally had to resign myself to the fact that there isn't any Santa after all.
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#21
12-07-2005, 01:29 PM
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I think I was about six, once again it was a sibling that broke the news with no small amount of smug satisfaction. My step-sister informed me that I was stupid for believing in Santa, and that one year they had caught their dad putting presents under the tree, so there. After that, she convinced me to go rifling through our parents' closet where we found the Cabbage Patch Kids that we were to receive.
So...for revenge I told my mom all about us snooping, and our Cabbage Patch Kids were given to some friends of the family. I was rather pleased with myself for getting back at Kathy (step sis), but bummed about not getting the dolls. I think we got some the next year. My parents always put the presents under the tree, but would save a few back and also the stockings and put those out on Christmas Eve after everyone'd gone to sleep. They continued to do this even after the Santa gig was up. To this day I still get presents from "Santa", as well as the dogs and cats, and if I stay over at the 'rents for christmas I wake up in the morning to find full stockings, which is still really impressive considering I'm usually sleeping a few feet away from them and I'm a light sleeper.
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#22
12-07-2005, 02:52 PM
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That's what I'm talking about!
I still get presents from Santa--why not? Of course, last year, Santa sent me a nice shawl and a huge box of toys etc to my step-Grandma, but hey! he's old and forgetful sometimes......
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#23
12-07-2005, 02:57 PM
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I don't think I ever believed . I believed it like I believed in the people in story books. Real but not really real. (Not that I didn't find Alsan and Alice and Peter Pan {and later Madame Bovary and Winston Smith } far more convincingly real then some of the "people" I meet everyday.}) Although my parents did perpetuate the idea a bit...I got presents from Santa...and Mrs. Santa. And the Elves. A feminist, classless household were we .For me the magic was in the mysterios transformation overnight...presents appearing, stocking filled overnight while I was asleep. Magic! So why not throw in a supernatural character? It keep beening magic even when I found the presents in mom's room the week before.
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#24
12-07-2005, 04:12 PM
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Until I was about 8. A friend told me. I asked my mom. She confirmed my suspicions.
 I felt bad that I hadn't been thanking my parents all those years, so at Christmas that year, when my little brother and sister were distracted, I gave Mom and Dad each a big hug and a "thanks." I was a pretty goody-two-shoes kid, huh? I even perpetuated the myth to the kiddies. "I think I heard reindeer last night!" These days, my mom and stepdad (things changed over the years, you see) write "From Mom and Bill" on the presents, but my dad still writes "FROM SANTA" in his own, undisguised, all-caps handwriting. I think that's awesome.
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#25
12-07-2005, 04:50 PM
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I started piecing it together when I was six or so. My belief was totally shattered by 7.
First I noticed that Santa's handwriting looked suspiciously like my dad's. I believe there was a Christmas morning query, and I was given some cock and bull story. Yeah, dad, whatever. The next year, I was a latch-key kid. I had asked for a kid's sewing machine. So I'm sitting there after school and the phone rings. I pick it up. It's J.C. Penney, telling me that my sewing machine was ready to ship. I guess I had the contralto even then, either that or the lady on the phone was just clueless. Same year, my sister spoils it completely. She's 7 years older than me. I told her my findings. I was shown the parental closet. I wasn't as disappointed as I might have been, honestly.
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#26
12-07-2005, 04:59 PM
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I got in trouble in First Grade for telling my classmates that there was no Santa. I can't remember who told me, or if I figured it out myself. I remember being relieved. I had thought that Santa was a little creepy, breaking into my house at night when all of the lights were off. Who knew what else he could've been up to.
My mother had the right idea. After she learned from friends that there was no Santa, she kept quiet, thereby assuring that she would still get her "Santa" loot.
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#27
12-07-2005, 05:19 PM
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I was in kindergarten. Someone at school said there was no such thing, so like everything else in the world at that point, I asked my mom. She explained it really nicely, saying about how who else "Can see you when you're sleeping, and knows when you're awake....etc", explaining that there had been clues there all along that I didn't pick up on. So she saved herself from the lying accusations, and told the truth at the same time. My mom rocks.
If I end up with children of my own I think I'll tell them about Santa, but only based on the tradition in my (and Calvin's) family that the father gets to make up all sorts of crazy garbage to tell the children because lying to children is funny.
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#28
12-07-2005, 05:35 PM
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#29
12-07-2005, 07:17 PM
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That's an excellent question and I thank you for asking it... Well...the above is actually a reference coming from caricatures of french politicians. Nobody here can get it but it's the first sentence that came to my mind. What I mean is : I've no clue. Though I sometimes wondered. Knowing myself, I'm pretty certain I'm going to be evil and lie to them too.... 
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#30
12-07-2005, 08:47 PM
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When I was 7, Santa Claus came to our house at Christmas and gave us presents in person. I was absolutely thrilled.
Well, a few months before the next Christmas, I said something about Santa to my grandmother, who acted disgusted. She said I was too old to believe in Santa Claus, and he didn't exist. When I protested that he came to our house, she snorted "That wasn't Santa Claus, it was your Uncle Eddie." Being a kid, naturally, I immediately blabbed to my two younger brothers... which got ME into huge trouble with my parents! Anyway, on Christmas Eve, Santa Claus showed up ALONGSIDE my Uncle Eddie. My younger brothers, of course, mocked me for saying that my Uncle Eddie was Santa Claus, since obviously he couldn't be. Later that night, I said to my Dad, "I promise I won't tell the others... but who was Santa Claus really?" Dad admitted it was one of our neighbors. And I clammed up to keep my brothers happy.
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#31
12-07-2005, 08:53 PM
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I'd figured it out before I turned 6. It just didn't make sense. My parents confirmed it, and it didn't bother me a bit.
Frankly, I fell away from christianity shortly after.
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#32
12-08-2005, 06:57 AM
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I figured it out early, maybe 5 or 6... although my parent made a real good attempt to convince me. We went to visit relatives for the Christmas holiday, we left on about the 23rd and came back on the 26th or 27th. When we left there was no tree, no presents, no decorations of any kind... when we returned, there was a decorated tree, presents and it made me wonder whether I could have been wrong about Santa... for about 5 minutes until I realized that our next door neighbor had keys to our house. Of course, my parents exclaiming how this was proof of Santa did much to arouse my suspicions.
Actually, I liked the time after I figured it out better than before. It gave me something to do in December.... FIND THE PRESENTS!!!
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#33
12-08-2005, 07:08 AM
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There is no Santa Claus.
I was probably 8 or 9 years old when I realized how it was impossible for Santa to make it to every house where Christmas is celebrated, even when taking into account the time zones. Also, how could Santa possibly fit in anyone's chimney? I was quite the logical thinker at an early age.
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#34
12-08-2005, 07:40 AM
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I can't remember exactly, but it must have been around about the age of six or seven; in a rather odd episode of cognitive dissonance, I remember deliberately not telling my parents that I knew it was made up, because (in some weird way) I thought they still believed it. Doesn't make any sense, I know.
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#35
12-08-2005, 12:07 PM
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I think I was about six when I realized that it was not a coincidence that Santa had the exact same distinctive handwriting as my mother. So, a notice to all you parents out there... use your best ransom-note style handwriting when putting "To: Little Johnny" on the presents. Oooo. Better yet how bizarre would it be to actually do the ransom note "magazine letter cut-out" thing on all your kid's presents. Probably a bit too freaky but strangely fun none the less.
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#36
12-08-2005, 12:24 PM
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We always opened our presents on Christmas Eve, after getting home from the childrens' program at church. I guess I thought Santa came while we were gone, to drop off one present, because I did see presents from relatives gathering before Christmas.
I was almost five(my birthday is New Year's Ever) when we were leaving for church. It was dark, and Mom "forgot" something, and had to go back inside for a minute. Through a crack in the kitchen curtains I saw her put away the cookies and milk, and right then knew there was no Santa at all, and probably no Easter Bunny either. But I didn't say anything because I didn't want to queer the deal for the other gifts. Mom says that when I was almost eight she told me the truth about Santa, and that I said "I know that!" But I honestly don't remember that.
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#38
12-08-2005, 07:24 PM
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When I was growing up, we "played the Santa Claus game." My parents told us early on (so early I don't remember), that it was a great game, like "hide and seek" or "go fish." The more you pretended, the more fun it was. We had oooodles of fun. But no one was under any illusion that it was real. Just real fun. I remember when I was about 10, I got to be the one to sneak down late at night to eat the cookies and drink the milk. My brother got to stuff the stockings. There were always gifts from mom and dad AND some special ones from "santa."
And, of course, we watched Miracle on 34th Street, and loved the magic and wonder of it all. Somehow our pretending was just as magical as if our parents had tried to fool us. We were "in" on the joke--and enjoyed it all the more. I decided to handle it the same way with my children--because I believe trust is a fragile thing. And I didn't want my children to think I would lie to them about anything. I still got to see their wonder and delight on Christmas morning. I also got to see their creativity as they tried to fool each other and their parents by leaving behind a corncob pipe or making reindeer footprints on the roof. (Apparently Dad helped with this--but my son climbed the ladder.....) My kids are mostly grown now and have have expressed appreciation that they never had to go through the shock and sadness of discovering their parents had deceived them. It's a fine line. But for those of you who found the discovery of the lie hurt your trust in your parents, consider playing it as a game--like costumes and pretend. Your children may find it as delightful as we did.
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#39
12-08-2005, 08:49 PM
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My Mom has a picture of me sitting on Santa Claus' lap at the local mall. Little did I know that Santa was my own big brother. Didn't have a clue it was him under that fake beard and wig. He got the Santa gig at the mall for a couple of years running, must have been a pretty good Santa, he fooled me.
My Santa discovery was pretty disappointing, and I'm not sure how old I was but I decided to pretend like I was sleeping and stay awake on Xmas Eve and catch a glimpse of Santa (I could see the tree from my room.). Imagine my innocence shattered as I watched my Mom and Dad puttting the presents under the tree. Ah well, such is life.
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#40
12-09-2005, 07:20 AM
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#41
12-09-2005, 07:55 AM
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I'm not sure how old I was, maybe 7 or so. Mom actually had a great explanation, which made me feel very good, and I never felt lied to. I told my own son the same thing when he finally caught on: "Santa's not a single person, Santa's is a feeling. You've heard of Christmas Spirit, right? Santa's the Chirstmas Spirit, that makes everyone want to have a magical time, and enjoy giving gifts to one another and make cookies and other foods we don't make other times of the year, and tell stories and be with family we only see once a year."
Siince I was well aware that people were mysteriously generous in late December, the way they weren't the rest of the year, it made sense to me. Still does, in a way.
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#42
12-09-2005, 09:59 AM
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Exactly.
A friend of mine did a gig as a mall Santa, and wrote a newspaper article about it. His experience was, when you do that, you're not playing Santa; you are Santa. Everybody treats you as Santa - adults, kids, security guards, "elves" - they interact with you as Santa. I think he really has something there - when I get gifts for my family, or a family we sponsor, I am Santa Claus. I really feel that.
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#43
12-09-2005, 10:31 PM
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When I was in second grade, IIRC (so that would be age 6) I asked Santa for two boa constrictors and an alligator, so they would KILL people who were mean to me at school. (Yes, I was a well-adjusted child, why do you ask?) Between then and Christmas, though, I realized something was fishy about the whole Santa concept and asked my mom if Santa was real. She kept trying to put me off, but I insisted I wanted to know. Eventually, she told me no, he isn't real... and I cried and cried and cried.
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