Did your parents tell you Santa was real when you were little?

If so, do you feel that doing so enriched or diminished your childhood?

If NOT, do you feel your childhood was enriched or diminished?

No need to wait for the poll today.

No they did not, and I never wished otherwise.

I was the youngest child in my family. I don’t have any recollection of anyone saying anything about Santa one way or the other. I don’t ever recall feeling betrayed upon learning the truth. We got gifts from “Santa”, as well as from “the fish” or “the dog.” I figured everything was from my parents, which seemed nice of them.

Answering my own question, no, and I feel a little cheated, actually. They felt the Santa story was sinful, and were so insistent that none of us believe in it that I was a rather stoid, over-serious, and imagination-deprived little kid. My clearest memory of kindergarten is being the one kid who ruined the Santa magic for his classmates, and I regret that.

My parents told me Santa was real, and I did believe it, until I figured out the truth on my own somehow at around age 7. I don’t remember any real defining moment when I suddenly realized Santa wasn’t real - I guess it was a gradual process. And I didn’t feel bad or cheated or anything when I found out.

No, I don’t think my parents talked to me about Santa. I picked it up from media and playschool, and decided it was one of those things kids had to play along with to keep the adults happy. When I was 3 1/2 I had a serious talk with my mom, so she knew I was in on it.

Didn’t diminish my childhood. It’s just the way I was made.

Yes they did, and I’m glad. I think it was just harmless fun. Nothing wrong with a little imagination when you’re a kid. I was around 8 when I found there was no Santa. I cried for 5 minutes, then I asked what we were having for dinner.

I never would’ve imagined that peoplee would be seriously traumatized when they found out there was no Santa, or betrayed by their parents. I mean, over Santa?

Some people have a low betrayal-threshold.

Personally, I don’t remember much about believing in Santa, but I’m the youngest of 5. I presume the older ones told me or something. We always, even as adults, got presents from “Santa”.

StG

I assume so, because I remember when I came to the realization he wasn’t real. The most dissapointing 21st birthday one could ever have.

nope I was too smart for that kind of thing

I also learned to read when I was three years old

I never felt betrayal or anything so dramatic when I found out the truth. The memories of the joy and excitement of believing are my strongest recollection of Santa. I am loving that I can recreate that magic for my own children now.

Yes, and when I figured it out I asked my mom to keep putting “Santa” presents under the tree because I liked the whole event.

Since I enjoyed it, I’d say it “enriched” me but not in a way where I’d say those without are seriously deprived. Personally, I think some people put far too much energy into worrying about it.

Yeah. Used to get presents that had his name written on the label and all of that. Don’t really remember a time when I ever actually believed in him, though. Made no difference but that’s probably because I never believed. Don’t plan on telling any kids I might have that he’s real.

Yep. I enjoyed the experience. I figured out the truth by 1st Grade Xmas, though.

We believed in Santa when I was a child. I don’t remember ever asking my parents if he was real or them telling me directly that he was real. I think if I had my parents would have said something a long the lines of, “Well, do you believe he’s real? That’s all that matters.”

I had no sense of betrayal or anger when I realized it was make believe. Just a little sad and then on with life. My son’s own reaction was much the same.

I don’t know that they told me he was real, but I assume so as I did believe up until the Christmas I was 6. I recall I was in the front seat of the car and asked my father how the reindeer could really get up to the roof. I was quite sure reindeer could not fly I guess, though the rest of the legend didn’t bother me apparently. This lead to my learning the truth.

I don’t recall, but I’ve heard the story often enough that the next Easter I got a large beach ball type ball that was defective and wouldn’t blow up. My mother said they’d have to take it back to the store. It’s reported I quite angrily said “Don’t tell me you’re the Easter Bunny, too!?” So apparently that legend must have been a little easier for me to believe.

Our son never really believed in Santa. We were living in Hype Park, Chicago when he was born and it wasn’t the safest place. He was reminded often not to talk to strangers. At a very young age (I think 3 or 4), he was very scared to think a man was going to come into the apartment while he was sleeping so we had to tell him Santa was just a story.

I never felt bad about what I was told, I don’t think, except for that initial reaction about Easter. I was always a little disappointed we never got to play the game with our son.

For me, it wasn’t about the betrayal (Which, I didn’t appreciate.), it was the overwhelming feeling of stupidity I felt afterwords.

Nope. Everyone always talks about “when did you find out Santa wasn’t real” and I realized I had no idea, so I asked Mom. She said she never told us he (or the Tooth Fairy or the Easter Bunny) were really real, just that they were on the same level as other fairy tale/make-believe/“let’s pretend” stuff. And that we should be nice and pretend he was really-real for other kids who believed. I still enjoyed Christmas very much, so I don’t think I lost out on anything by it.

My husband staked out the Christmas tree when he was 5, by hiding behind it to see what the real deal was, and fell asleep waiting. He woke up to the sounds of his dad swearing as he tried to stash presents quietly, and popped up. His dad yelled at him, he yelled back, “You lied to me!” and it was ugly. (Really, more like your average every other day in that house, it sounds like, considering his dad was abusive and most likely bipolar.)

Yes, my mom went all out with Santa, up to and including having us leave carrots out for the reindeer the night before Christmas. Honestly, I loved it. Something about it was totally magical.

Learning Santa wasn’t real wasn’t traumatic at all. I had begun to have some questions, then my older (by 13 mos) sister and I found all our presents in the storeroom in the garage one year. They appeared under the tree the next morning. We pretended to believe for another couple of years, only instead of waiting until Christmas to play with our new toys, my sister and I became real handy with boxcutters and figured out how to re-wrap gifts and replace the tape without mom being any the wiser. Yes, we were rotten children.

Anyway, mom only found out about our boxcutter habit a few years ago, and I’m 38.

Wait just one damn minute:mad:

Santa’s NOT real:confused::eek: