I would like to seriously dispute the premise of this thread.
Santa Claus, and the Easter Bunny, and the Tooth Fairy—they are real. I know, because when I was a kid, I got the goodies in my stocking, and the hidden candy eggs, and the money under my pillow.
What I became aware of when I got older was, not that Santa Claus wasn’t real, but that Santa Claus was really Dad and Mom. Santa Claus didn’t stop existing. I just had a better understanding of who Santa Claus really was. Santa Claus was someone who loved me enough that he not only wanted to give me presents and goodies, he wanted to make it happen in a fun and exciting and magical way. And that, I insist, is the absolute truth.