I was around 7-8 when I found out the truth. BUT I also still believe, how can you not believe when you still get presents labeled from Santa under your tree.
When I was 5, my best friend showed me the closet in her house where the presents labeled from Santa were stashed. Her older brother and sister showed her.
I didn't tell my mom I found them, and pretended until a night when I was probably 10 or 11 when my parents brought home DQ blizzards for them and me and we had a conversation about how even though Santa may not be real, I had three younger siblings who I needed to help carry on Santa for.
Post by travelbug on Sept 13, 2014 20:13:32 GMT -5
We were huge Santa believers in our house too. My mom made us write letters every year. I believed until I was 10/11. I have 4 younger siblings so I kept believing until I was 21 to keep the magic alive. I was really sad when I found out!
Post by spankswife on Sept 13, 2014 20:25:02 GMT -5
I love Santa. I was crushed. I was 7 and there was a Johova witness in my class, he didn't announce it, but we all sort of figured it. I just kept believing Bc I wanted to and I wanted my sister and brother to.
It's so weird, it's almost like my kid is too smart for it and she pretends to believe to make us happy. Ever since she was 2, she's had this "yeah right" attitude about it. Sigh. I hope this year she does Bc her imagination has been blossoming lately.
Or elf on the shelf, she asks us "why did you do that?" on mornings the elf does a prank. It's no fun.
We never believed in Santa, but it was still a fun tradition. My mom still gives us presents "from Santa," but that was about it. This is probably how we'll do it for our kids, but H was a big believer, so we'll have to see. It was nice to get the tradition of Santa without the day you find out it's all a lie, lol.
Post by cheeseandcrackers on Sept 13, 2014 23:24:00 GMT -5
I think I was 3 or 4 when I believed.. but then my parents kind of made it clear there was no santa and they never really practiced the whole thing. i got presents, i just knew it was from them.
I totally believed in Santa. I actually believes for an embarrassingly long time- I think I was 10ish maybe?
DH's parents didn't do Santa, so he didn't believe. It's actually a bit of a debate with us right now- I want to do Santa with A and he doesn't. Luckily we have a few years before we have to decide for sure
We didn't do Santa in my house either. I don't feel like I missed out on anything either.
I wouldn't even know how to do santa that if we had kids, and I would probably elect not to. Santa can come to grandmas house, because it is very important to MIL.
On the other hand, I do enjoy these debates on here around Christmas time. I rolled my eyes pretty hard at the people who bang the drum about ruining Christmas! and not understanding the magic of Christmas! because it's likely I won't push my kids to believe in Santa
I think both sides of the argument are silly. Christmas is not ruined without Santa. But you are not traumatizing your child and being a terrible liar if you choose to celebrate Santa.
I think both sides of the argument are silly. Christmas is not ruined without Santa. But you are not traumatizing your child and being a terrible liar if you choose to celebrate Santa.
My parents weren't into the Santa thing at all, and by the time I heard of Santa, I was in kindergarten and knew it wasn't real because my older sister told me.
Post by wanderingenough on Sept 15, 2014 11:54:04 GMT -5
Our family did the Santa thing. I believed until I was about 7 probably. One of my favorite Christmas memories is when I was about 4 or 5. We were spending Christmas at my grandparents and they had a chimney. Everyone was trying to get me to go to sleep on Christmas eve when all of a sudden one of my brother points out that he can hear bells. We stand by the fireplace and I hear bells and see soot falling down the fireplace. Yep, it was definitely my other brother on the roof -- but it totally had me fooled!
H and I will do Santa for our kids, but we still debate how. In his family, they opened all the family gifts on Christmas eve. Then on Christmas morning, the Santa gifts were under the tree unwrapped. Our family opened one gift each on Christmas eve (usually a board game or something to keep us entertained), and both Santa and family gifts (wrapped!!) on Christmas day.
I only debate with him though. I definitely do not care what other people do with their own children or how it may or may not "ruin" my kids fine. We all survived!
Post by pantaloons55 on Sept 15, 2014 12:00:23 GMT -5
I stopped believing really early, and it was really that I'd just sort of figured it out because: 1) I was a snoopy kid, so I knew where the presents were stashed, and 2) I recognized my Mom's handwriting "from Santa" on everything. LOL...
I do remember trying to pretend I still believed for awhile the sake of my parents and my little brother, but apparently I also showed him the present stash at a certain age (no idea how old he was) but he'd specifically told me he thought there was no Santa and that it was Mom and Dad. Mom still tries to pin *ruining* Santa for my brother, on me.
We'll definitely do Santa for our kids although it wasn't as big of a thing for H as it was in my family.