# When did you stop believing in Santa? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 26, 2005, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-you-stop-believing-in-santa/328010 "2005-10-26T15:56:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2005, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-you-stop-believing-in-santa/328010/21 "2005-10-26T18:48:27Z")
Box your spoilers, people! 😉 Sailboat ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2005, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-you-stop-believing-in-santa/328010/22 "2005-10-26T18:58:37Z")
I don’t remember when I stopped believing in Santa, but I do remember being 7 or 8 and reading in a kid’s magazine about some people who went to the North Pole by dogsled. The article didn’t mention Santa, and I remember not being particularly surprised that it didn’t. I’ve now converted to Judaism, so this won’t be an issue for my (eventual) kids. ---
**Author:** ![Winston\_Smith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e95f7d/32.png) [@Winston\_Smith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Winston_Smith)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2005, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-you-stop-believing-in-santa/328010/23 "2005-10-26T19:16:47Z")
> [@jrfranchi](#): > > Dear Winston: > " Your little friends at SDMB are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. > "They do not believe except what they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Winston, whether they be men’s or children’s, are little. > "In this great universe of ours, man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect, as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of gasping the whole of truth and knowledge. > "Yes, Winston, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! How dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus. > > Your Truly, > Jim Franchi :weeping: Thank you! Thank you! \ ---
**Author:** ![Kythereia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e8c25b/32.png) [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2005, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-you-stop-believing-in-santa/328010/24 "2005-10-26T19:21:19Z")
Santa’s… _sniff_ _big eyes_ Santa’s… not real? ☹ (I think somewhere around eight years old, my parents starting marking up my presents with “love, Mom and Dad” instead of “love, Santa”. I wonder if I should leave out a plate of cookies and milk this year and see what happens :D) ---
**Author:** ![VenusProbe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/e495f1/32.png) [@VenusProbe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VenusProbe)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2005, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-you-stop-believing-in-santa/328010/25 "2005-10-26T19:29:49Z")
I don’t know what you’re talking about. Santa still visits our house every christmas, we leave a plate of cheese and crackers for him and in the morning the plate is empty except for a few cracker crumbs. Oh and all our presents are from santa too! ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2005, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-you-stop-believing-in-santa/328010/26 "2005-10-26T19:32:28Z")
In interest of full disclosure, my post above is not original. It is closely based on the Classic Yes, Virignia Letter from the Editorial Page, New York Sun, 1897 This is public domain, but I want to ensure that no one makes the mistake that I could possibly write this well. For the full and (correct text) see [http://www.barricksinsurance.com/virginia.html](http://www.barricksinsurance.com/virginia.html) I post this before a Mod or Admin corrects me and in case someone has somehow not seen this before. With Apologies. Jim PS, give it a read, it might bring tears to your eyes. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Jman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jman/32/4416_2.png) [@Jman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jman)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2005, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-you-stop-believing-in-santa/328010/27 "2005-10-26T19:37:42Z")
I think I was 5. I figured it out after looking at the to/from tags, and noticed that the ones from Santa and the ones from Mom and Dad were in the same handwriting…I just turned and said “You’re Santa, aren’t you Mom?” I wasn’t particularly upset or anything. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2005, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-you-stop-believing-in-santa/328010/28 "2005-10-26T19:50:47Z")
> [@jrfranchi](#): > > Dear Winston: While out walking one Christmas Eve, a fat guy in a sleigh pulled up beside me and asked directions to a home in Reston, VA. He asked me if it was a real place. I replied “Yes, fat man, there is a Reston.” Hello, is this thing on? ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2005, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-you-stop-believing-in-santa/328010/29 "2005-10-26T19:57:47Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > While out walking one Christmas Eve, a fat guy in a sleigh pulled up beside me and asked directions to a home in Reston, VA. He asked me if it was a real place. I replied “Yes, fat man, there is a Reston.” > > Hello, is this thing on? [The sounds of Crickets Chirping](http://www.omidyar.net/group/goodfactory/file/7.53.11110910537/) ---
**Author:** ![Campion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@Campion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Campion)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2005, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-you-stop-believing-in-santa/328010/30 "2005-10-26T20:10:15Z")
> [@VenusProbe](#): > > Oh and all our presents are from santa too! We still get presents from Santa, and my siblings and I are in our thirties (except for the baby, who’s 25). My BIL, upon getting his first present from Santa in what must have been decades, looked a bit befuddled. But he plays along, so it’s all good. > [@jrfranchi](#): > > I love the “reindeer hoofs on the rooftop” part. That went beyond the call of duty for a quarter payment. Nice job by your sister. My sister has always had a very good work ethic. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2005, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-you-stop-believing-in-santa/328010/31 "2005-10-26T20:12:13Z")
> [@jrfranchi](#): > > [The sounds of Crickets Chirping](http://www.omidyar.net/group/goodfactory/file/7.53.11110910537/) What’s really sad is I couldn’t even get that file to play. ---
**Author:** ![Dorjan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dorjan/32/12440_2.png) [@Dorjan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dorjan)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2005, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-you-stop-believing-in-santa/328010/32 "2005-10-26T21:01:46Z")
I never **really** believed in Santa, but it was fun to play along with the whole idea. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2005, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-you-stop-believing-in-santa/328010/33 "2005-10-26T21:18:54Z")
My parents, feeling out-of-touch to our various likes and dislikes, instituted an annual tradition: Go the big Toys ‘R’ Us store, give my sister and I each a fixed amount of money, and we would shop for what we wanted until we reached our limit. This way, they never ran the risk of getting something we didn’t want (or already had), and we never ran the risk of being disappointed (and if we were, we only had ourselves to blame). Needless to say, this tradition precluded any Santa pretense. Christmas morning would be about trying to remember what we picked and what wrapped boxes matched the inventory in our heads. There would usually be a suprise gift–one that our parents noticed was a last-minute favorite that didn’t quite make the cut. This present was labelled from “Santa”, but for as long back as I can remember, I don’t recall ever believing he existed–though I do remember getting into some heated arguments with my peers who were still True Believers and wouldn’t take my word for his non-existence (the Easter Bunny, too). ---
**Author:** ![sj2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/65b543/32.png) [@sj2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sj2)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2005, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-you-stop-believing-in-santa/328010/34 "2005-10-26T22:04:48Z")
2nd Grade. Santa left me a Cabbage Patch Kid (back when they were very rare). Went back to school with said Kid and my best friend had the same one. She told me my mom and her mom bought them together …But, that’s impossible because SANTA gave me mine!!.. Mom confessed. Heart was broken. ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2005, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-you-stop-believing-in-santa/328010/35 "2005-10-26T23:08:49Z")
Probably when I was about 7 or 8, I suppose. The whole story suddenly just seemed ridiculous. Even at that age I’d begun to question how Santa would be able to handle his sleigh if he consumed all of the beer that was being left out for him. ---
**Author:** ![Dark\_Side\_of\_the\_Floyd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bb73d2/32.png) [@Dark\_Side\_of\_the\_Floyd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dark_Side_of_the_Floyd)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2005, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-you-stop-believing-in-santa/328010/36 "2005-10-26T23:30:37Z")
Never did. Usually, it was “We’ll get something together at the store for you.” ---
**Author:** ![Dark\_Side\_of\_the\_Floyd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bb73d2/32.png) [@Dark\_Side\_of\_the\_Floyd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dark_Side_of_the_Floyd)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2005, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-you-stop-believing-in-santa/328010/37 "2005-10-26T23:32:45Z")
Er… by “never did”, I mean, “never believed in a Santa”. ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2005, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-you-stop-believing-in-santa/328010/38 "2005-10-26T23:54:35Z")
> [@Cunctator](#): > > Even at that age I’d begun to question how Santa would be able to handle his sleigh if he consumed all of the beer that was being left out for him. You guys left beer for Santa? We only left milk and cookies. Did you get better presents than we did? 😉 [OT]I’m really starting to look forward to my vacation in Australia next month 😃 [/OT] ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2005, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-you-stop-believing-in-santa/328010/39 "2005-10-27T00:19:12Z")
> [@Anne Neville](#): > > You guys left beer for Santa? We only left milk and cookies. That’s right. Beer for Santa and grass for his reindeer. Dad used to drink the beer. We’d usually find the grass, uneaten, on Christmas morning, shrivelled up in the heat because Dad would forget to throw it back into compost heap. “Perhaps the reindeer weren’t hungry”, Mum would say. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2005, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-you-stop-believing-in-santa/328010/40 "2005-10-27T00:25:14Z")
> [@Jman](#): > > I think I was 5. I figured it out after looking at the to/from tags, and noticed that the ones from Santa and the ones from Mom and Dad were in the same handwriting. Your parents musta been amateurs. At my house the gifts from Santa had different handwriting on the tags (and different wrapping paper) from than the gifts from Mom & Dad. I don’t remember when I stopped believing, but I do remember there was one year when I _thought_ it was Mom and Dad, but I wasn’t sure, and I was worried that, when I grew up and had kids of my own, I wouldn’t know for sure whether I was supposed to “be Santa” or let the real Santa do it. (Anybody remember the [Saturday Night Live sketch with Alec Baldwin as the dad who still believed in Santa?](http://snltranscripts.jt.org/94/94hsanta.phtml)) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-you-stop-believing-in-santa/328010.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-you-stop-believing-in-santa/328010.md?page=3)