I have no idea when I found out Santa wasn't real, nor do I remember how I felt about it. Although my sister and I always had to say "Yes" every year even into our twenties and beyond when Mom and Dad asked.

I am not a Christian so I don't celebrate Christmas. The Wiccan Sabbat is Yule, however. I never plan on having children so I don't have to worry about Santa-- I don't know if I would do Santa or not. For Yule every year we do cakes and ale (well, since I don't drink its cider for us), and leave the offering to the God and Goddess outside. So if I did have kids I think the magic of the gifts suddenly appearing would definitely be there, but probably somehow different than Santa, I suppose. BUT I am glad I never have to worry about it. Kids are definitely not my thing.

If anyone has ever read the Little House series of books, there is a scene in one of the books where Ma is talking about Christmas. Mary and Laura sort of freak out a little... "Ma!!! There IS a Santa Claus, isn't there?" (now I've gotten my copy of the book out "on the banks of plum creek" to write out what Ma says)
Ma replies "The older you are, the more you know about Santa Claus. You are so big now, you know he can't be just one man don't you? You know he is everywhere in Christmas Eve. He is in the Big Woods, and in Indian Territory, and far away in New York State, and here. He comes down all the chimneys at the same time. You know that, don't you?
Some more dialog happens, and then "Then Ma told them something else about Santa Claus. He was everywhere, and he was all the time. Whenever anyone was unselfish, that was Santa Claus. Christmas Eve was the one time when everyone was unselfish. On that one night, Santa Claus was everywhere, because everybody, all together, stopped being selfish and wanted other people to be happy. And in the morning you saw what that had done."

I've just always loved that explanation of Santa.

My oldest two kids know about St Nicholas, Sinterklaas and Odin. The Santa myth comes from a few places.

I'm not suggesting it doesn't.

I actually meant to take your part of the quote out lol

:flowerforyou:

I didn't like finding out Santa wasn't real. If I ever have kids, they won't know about him.

Oh, they'll know about him, unless you're going to shelter them from the world. So, just leave it up to others to tell your children about Santa Claus, which may or may not be what you'd like them to believe.

^^^ Yea, that.

"Yes, VIRGINIA, 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. It would be as dreary as if there were no VIRGINIAS. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.

Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies! You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas Eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if they did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that's no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world."

I have never confirmed nor denied Santa, the Tooth Fairy, and Easter Bunny (and my daughter has asked plenty of Santa, Tooth Fairy and Easter Bunny questions since she was 3). But I think that she doesn't believe in them but hasn't yet figured out who ives her the gifts/money/candy. She does, however, look forward to the Easter bunny's clues to her basket (I make it like a scavenger hunt where the first clue is by her bed and that leads to the next clue, etc., until the final clue leads to the basket).

I didn't like finding out Santa wasn't real. If I ever have kids, they won't know about him.

Oh, they'll know about him, unless you're going to shelter them from the world. So, just leave it up to others to tell your children about Santa Claus, which may or may not be what you'd like them to believe.

Let me rephrase: They will know about him - they just won't believe. They'll be the ones to tell others that he doesn't exist. Just like their mommy.

I can't believe all this BS about "lying" to your kids...it's just FUN! I believed in Santa til I was in 5th grade. :blushing: Lighten up, people!

I have always been a fan of the idea of Santa, even dressed up one year and let the kids see me Christmas morning / late night putting the gifts under the tree as my wife and two oldest kids hid in my sons room to “secretly” watch. Its something I know we will remember forever and my daughter still thinks it was cool.( my oldest son just wanted to go back to bed) . My daughter still loves the idea of Santa .She is 16 and has known it was me in the suit for at least 8 years. My oldest son has known since he was 9. As for my youngest son he found out 2 years ago in a note. He wrote this on Christmas eve when he was 8 and put it next to the cookies and milk
Dear Santa
Are you real? My friends say you are not but I know you are. Are you real?
Love Jarrett
I had read some famous article a while back on the computer that was in the paper like in the 30s or so( cant remember when) to some girl that asked the same question. So I stole the idea got on the computer and printed him out this.
Yes Jarrett, I am real . I am as real as love, joy, kindness, and happiness, are real. Some of the most real things in the world are things you never see but you can feel. While I am not a real live person, I exist in the hearts and minds of moms, dads and kids everywhere.
Merry Christmas
As soon as our parents came over and asked what Santa brought everyone, he said” Santa’s not real; Santa is just a feeling of Christmas .”… and then tore into all the crap we bought. He never looked crushed or anything like that... I think he will live.
Now.. am I an *kitten* for just telling him that there was no Santa and lying to my 3 kids for all those years?????..Maybe… ive lied to them before… told them their mom was a alien like in the movie SIGNS once. It was funny. No so funny to my wife, but I don’t think it hurts for kids to have something magical in their lives in a world that offers so much hate . They have not killed me in my sleep over it yet so I don’t think it traumatized them that much.
I know this….. there was a lot less worry in my life back when I believed in Santa Clause .Id be more incline to say they would be angrier at me for depriving them that memory had we never let the whole Santa thing run wild for a few years .

My mom did not believe in Santa because she feels the entire concept is not fair. Her thinking is that poor children don't get gifts even if they are good and that is not fair. I am not really sure who these kids were she was talking about as she was not involved with any charities or had anything to do with anyone less fortunate that I know of. Anyway, so because of what she felt was the inequity of Santa, I was told from day one that he was not real. I feel that I really missed out on something as a child as a result. There was no mystery, no magic, no ritual, no nothing. Hell, there was not even suspense because I usually wrapped all the gifts including my own from like age 8 on.

My kids know about Santa and at 6 and 3 they still firmly believe in him. Holiday's in my home are festive and fun and filled with the spirit of Christmas. We have a lot of fun. And they will NEVER have to wrap their own presents, EVER!!!!!

I can't believe all this BS about "lying" to your kids...it's just FUN! I believed in Santa til I was in 5th grade. :blushing: Lighten up, people!

I've been thinking the same thing for days. Who hasn't lied to their kids? If your kids walk in on you and you spouse do you really tell them what you were doing if they ask? If your 4yo asks where babies come from do you tell them? If your kid hands you a picture they drew of their family do you say it looks just like them or do you say "It's just a bunch of stick figures. If you didn't label them I'd have no idea who they were."?

Exactly! I guess I feel bad for people who were sad when they found out for sure that Santa wasn't real....for me it was when my best friend made fun of me for still believing in Santa. To prove it me, she took me around my house to find potential hiding spots for presents, and lo and behold, we found some toys in the basement! I was bummed out, but I laugh about it with her today (we're still friends).

If finding out that there's no Santa is the most traumatic thing that's happened in your childhood, then you had it pretty damn easy. :noway:

I was raised in a Jewish household and I always thought Santa was kind of a jerk for skipping my house :laugh:

:laugh:

My friend is Jewish, but her children's father's family celebrates Christmas...those kids get visits from Santa AND they celebrate Hanukkah! (I hope I didn't butcher the spelling of that, btw...)

I was raised in a Jewish household and I always thought Santa was kind of a jerk for skipping my house :laugh:

Love this!