# Do you remember enjoying believing in Father Christmas **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 3, 2003, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-remember-enjoying-believing-in-father-christmas/216728 "2003-12-03T16:24:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Honeydew\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e19b73/32.png) [@Honeydew\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Honeydew_1)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2003, 10:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-remember-enjoying-believing-in-father-christmas/216728/21 "2003-12-04T10:40:36Z")
I believe in Santa - then and now … why not? Doesn’t do me or anyone else any harm. I think its nice to keep the kid inside us alive. Santa Rules!!! ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2003, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-remember-enjoying-believing-in-father-christmas/216728/22 "2003-12-04T13:47:53Z")
I loved the whole idea of Santa and still do. ---
**Author:** ![Breezy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b3f665/32.png) [@Breezy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Breezy)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2003, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-remember-enjoying-believing-in-father-christmas/216728/23 "2003-12-04T17:50:07Z")
Oh, I absolutely DID believe in Santa Clause. I’ll never forget the year my mom told me that Santa wasn’t real. I was in the bathtub, and she decided to spill it. I looked at her and said “What about the Easter Bunny?” He doesn’t exist either. “What about the Tooth Fairy?” Nope, she doesn’t exist either… I was a little depressed about it. Then I went to see that movie about Santa that had Dudly Moore in it, and decided that if I wanted to get anything from Santa that I’d better believe in him even if my mom and dad said he wasn’t real. What a weird kid. Anyway, I can’t WAIT to have kids and tell them about Santa. It’s just so amazing for kids to believe in him! I see no harm in it what so ever. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Podkayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Podkayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Podkayne)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2003, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-remember-enjoying-believing-in-father-christmas/216728/24 "2003-12-04T19:56:49Z")
I beleived in Santa, and I remember staring out the window on Christmas Eve, looking for the red star, because that would be what Rudloph’s nose would look like, and being so full of anticipation that I could hardly stand it. My family gave the usual explanations of how Santa could accomplish all those improbable feats through magic, and I swallowed them all, gullible little tadpole that I was. However, I also remember enjoying _How the Grinch Stole Christmas_ to an insane degree. It was my favorite Dr. Suess book, even in the summertime, and I thought the animated special was just the bee’s knees. (Still do.) But I never had any confusion about the fact that it was a work of fiction. There was no Grinch, there were no Whos, it was just a story. I suspect that I could have enjoyed the Santa myth just as much if it had just been presented a story. I actually don’t remember when and how I found out, but it was sometime when I was 5 or 6. It didn’t dampen my enthusiasm to any great degree, as I recall. Mostly I was excited about the presents. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![flodnak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/838e76/32.png) [@flodnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flodnak)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2003, 8:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-remember-enjoying-believing-in-father-christmas/216728/25 "2003-12-05T08:52:11Z")
I remember enjoying believing in Santa so much that I kept it up years after I really knew. I fooled myself into believing, knowing full well I was fooling myself, because I enjoyed believing so much. And when I was ready to let go of that belief, I did. No trauma. We never told flodjunior that Santa/julenissen was real. We introduced him to the stories and followed his lead from there. Last year he pulled me aside and whispered: “I know that Santa is you.” And I answered: “I’ve suspected you knew for quite a while. But let your little brother work it out for himself, okay?” And he agreed. In spades. This year he’s the one telling totnak all about Santa Claus. ---
**Author:** ![BIH\_Boy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/49beb7/32.png) [@BIH\_Boy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BIH_Boy)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2003, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-remember-enjoying-believing-in-father-christmas/216728/26 "2003-12-05T11:48:39Z")
Can’t remember ever believing. At four I twigged it was all a ruse and my parents never told me otherwise once I’d worked it out. I don’t have any memories before the age of four so no santa for me. I had to keep up the act for a few years as my younger brother believed until he was 7 or 8. A girl at my school - and this is not a joke - believed until she 14. She was also the only girl who when reading out something in class would say things like “open bracket”, “full stop” - like she was dictating. Strange girl. ---
**Author:** ![Profane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e47774/32.png) [@Profane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Profane)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2003, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-remember-enjoying-believing-in-father-christmas/216728/27 "2003-12-05T13:33:51Z")
My older sisters told me there was no Father Christmas when I was three. Maybe that explains my atheism too. As my husband and I have tried telling my daughter that there was no Santa, that he’s a (nice) story, and that’s why we have stockings. We didn’t want to lie to her. She decided she was having none of that, and is all about the jolly one. It’s cool with me. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![OldBroad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ed655f/32.png) [@OldBroad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldBroad)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2003, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-remember-enjoying-believing-in-father-christmas/216728/28 "2003-12-05T15:01:45Z")
I enjoyed playing the “Santa Claus” game even after I knew it was just a game. When I was 6 my parents made sure I knew the truth about Santa because they wanted to make sure I wouldn’t be disillusioned by some kid at school. It added fun to the Christmas season. Likewise, my kids knew early on that it is just a wonderful myth that does help add magic to the season. I still love the idea of Santa whatever he is called throughout the world. ---
**Author:** ![AngelicGemma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/439d5e/32.png) [@AngelicGemma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AngelicGemma)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2003, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-remember-enjoying-believing-in-father-christmas/216728/29 "2003-12-05T15:28:09Z")
I LOVED believing in Santa. It made Christmas wonderful. If it had been up to my dad I’d have been told there was no Santa straight away. Thank God for my mum! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-remember-enjoying-believing-in-father-christmas/216728.md?page=1)