I just saw the movie starring Leslie Nielsen. It was great! Boy, do I love Christmas movies. Anyway, it got me thinking about that nefarious time when we are initially told that Santa doesn’t exist.
I still remember the disappointment, the sheer disillusion that engulfed my tiny self, when told the truth about Santa. I jokingly told my mom that I knew Santa wasn’t real, that my friends had told me so. Of course I wasn’t serious. I never, even for a nanosecond, doubted Santa. I could have sworn in the name of Papa Smurf’s beard that he was real.
Unfortunately, my Mon failed to grasp the humorous tone of my assessment and told me the dark truth. Man, was I shaken, total despair invaded my body, I was on the verge of going all the way to the North Pole to find Santa and prove my Mom wrong. Needless to say, that was one of the lowest points of my life.
But enough of my dramatic childhood experiences. How about if all of you share yours? Under what circumstances did you first realize about Santa’s nonexistence and what was your reaction to such terrible news?
Pd. I DO still believe in Santa–metaphorically, of course. He is the MERRY in Christmas, he is the magic that envelops the season, he represents the selflessness, the preeminence of giving over receiving. SANTA IS THE MAN!
Could you put up a good word about me in your Christmas letters to Santa; I asked him for a brand new Ferrari and therefore need all the help I can get. Thanks!
I learned horrible truth Christmas Eve when I was seven.
I stayed up all night and waited to catch Santa. I caught my Dad at 3 am putting gifts under the tree. I jumped out from my bedroom and demanded he go back to bed because Santa won’t come if he’s awake and moving about the house. (Scaring the crap out of him in the process.)
I was so upset, I woke up the whole house with my yelling and finally my Mom had to tell me the truth. I asked if it was the same for the Tooth Fairy as well. She spilled her guts and all my suspicions were eased.
I was traumatized for the longest time… or at least until my gifts were opened a few hours later.
I never doubted that there was a Santa Claus. I mean, I had proof that he existed: letters, cookie crumbs, even visits from him while I was awake (the father of one of my mom’s friends used to dress up as Santa the night before Christmas Eve for me, my sister, and his grandkids). One night, I had lost a tooth, and when my mom came to tuck me in, I asked her if there really was a Tooth Fairy. I don’t know why I asked right then, it just popped out. After asking if I really wanted to know (nice cover, Mom!) she told me the bitter truth about good old TF. “What about the Easter Bunny?” I cried. Yup, him too. “And Santa?” I wailed through gulping tears. I was beyond crushed. My parents spent a good three hours calming me down before I could finally fall asleep… There had been subtle clues earlier on (“Mom, why does Santa use the same wrapping paper as you do?” “Well, honey, Santa probably buys his wrapping paper at the same place I do.”), but it never occured to me that he didn’t actually exist.
If I ever have kids, I’m not going to even hint that there’s any such dude as the fat guy in the red suit that drops down the chimney on Christmas Eve, leaving presents for the rugrats.
I will, however, tell them about the kindly Bishop of Myra, who was known to have spent his family fortune doing such things as tossing bags of money into the windows of the houses of desparately poor people who might otherwise have been forced to sell their children into slavery…
If you want to read about the origins of the “American” Santa Claus, click here. As always, it looks like the Dutch are once more to blame Sinterklaas was a Dutch tradition that crossed the ocean with the colonists:
For whatever reason, we never did the Santa Claus thing in my family when I was a kid. We tried to do it with our daughter, but the kid is too smart for her own good.
I saw the cruelest way to learn the truth at a former girlfriend’s house. They had some friends over (with little kids) and were watching a videotape of “Gremlins”. There is a bizarre moment where Phoebe Cates’ character tells about how her father tried to climb down the chimney dressed as Santa Claus and got killed. “And that’s how I learned there’s no Santa Claus”. The kids all turned as one to the adults and said, in hurt tones “There’s no Santa Claus?”
I can’t believe that Stephen Spielberg as producer put this into a kid’s movie. What a traumatic way to have the truth revealed! I’m amazed I never heard anyone else ever refer to this.
As far as the history behind Santa Claus, let me commend to you a wonderful book I’ve just finished – Stephen J. Nissenbaum’s “The Battle for Christmas”
Earlier today I recalled starting this thread a couple of weeks back, and decided to revive it since X-mas is upon us and well, nobody embodies the spirit of the season, the joy of giving, better than the jolly, white-bearded man. So, let’s have it, shall we? Let’s dig back to our childhood and relieve that most catastrophic of moments: the moment when we were initially told about Santa’s nonexistence.
But first, a few replies.
Serendipity:
Wow, that is a nasty way to have the horrible truth revealed. Totally out of the blue and without a warning your little kiddie universe gets torn apart. I totally empathize with you.
Well , I outdid you here. In my case I even SAW the presents “hidden” on the closet once, and even then suspicion never arose in my gullible little mind. :rolleyes:
CalMeacham
I haven’t seen Gremlins, but that is an atrocity. I had forgiven Steven Spielberg for directing The Lost World, but blowing Christmas off like that is unacceptable. As of right now I declare myself on strike against Spielberg and won’t ever again attend any movie directed or produced by him.
Actually, I thought it over and have decided to end my strike. His movies are too damn good. But I am still mad as hell against him.
Coldfire
You mean Santa is Dutch! I wonder, why did he decide to emigrate to the North Pole? I also wonder, how does he manage to get from country to country without a passport? I keep wondering, how does he manage to not get a lawsuit on charges of exploitation of minors, I mean, elves? Can you believe the poor little dudes work their ass off all year long just so that Santa can end up getting all the credit? I wonder, why don’t I shut up?
Off I go to type my Christmas letter to Santa.
Merry X-mas, and a happy new…Millenium!!!
For every reply to a post bearing this sig I am generously donating 1 cent to the International Center for the Cryogenic Preservation of Cecil Adams
‘Gremlins’ (along with ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’) caused quite a controversy when released. Many people felt these ‘PG’ movies were too violent and scary for such a mild rating. This controversy led directly to the creation of the ‘PG-13’ rating.
IMHO, I think they should have had a nude scene of Phoebe Cates in ‘Gremlins’. Instant ‘R’ rating, and a much improved movie.
I don’t remember how I found out. I think my brother told me when I was 7 or 8, but my mom contradicted him (and he got into trouble). That probably started me thinking, but it seems like it was a gradual realization.
What worries me now is that I have an eleven-year-old who gives every indication of sincerely believing in Santa Claus (and the Tooth Fairy, for that matter. I’ve never been all that enthusiastic about the Easter Bunny, so I don’t think he’ll be a problem). She’s very bright, so I’m getting the uneasy feeling that she’s discounted all the evidence against these things just because she’s confident her parents would never lie to her.
My Mother never came clean to me and I still get presents from Santa. She knows I know, of course, but we all still play along. (I also do some covert Santa-ing…going my parent’s way.)
My younger sister is now 10 and once asked my Mom if she was Santa and my Mom explained it thusly (and I paraphrase):
Santa represents the holiday spirit and “he” is alive and well. He teaches us that receiving is fun, but giving is better. He teaches us that it’s better to be nice than naughty. He encourages us to always be nice, because someone is watching. Santa is a parable designed to teach children morals, and I think Santa does good work.
My sis: But is there a Santa?
My Mom: What do you want to believe?
My sister left it at that. She now says that Santa is an idea rather than a person and I thinks that’s fine.
But who am I to question, I still get good shit from him!
me too, Sue, although there was a nasty scene my first year at college when my Mom didn’t do me a Christmas stocking…
She has repented that folly & even defends it to my godmother now! And they have started doing jelly tots in big tubes again at Christmas, so guess what I’m looking forward to this Christmas?
Anyway, I thought that this would be another Seuss thread - I thought it was going to be about the santa in who-ville - Santa Who.
