Believing in Santa question???

[Bren]

My DD will be 11 in July and still acts as if she "believes". I don't really press the issue either way. I feel surely that she must "know", but at times she makes comments that make me wonder. At what age did your children catch on? Did you flat out tell them? Keep letting them believe? My DD is the type that would never bring it up or ask if Santa is real. I have an 8 year old son who has already come home telling me that kid's are saying Santa is just your mom & dad. I try & keep him quiet around the 4 year old & laugh him off...the idea that I would spend all that money on toy's is just plain silly and he kinda' agrees :haha: .

I am trying to avoid the scenario that played out in my childhood. At age seven my 8 year old neighbor told me that there was no Santa, tooth fairy, Easter Bunny and how babies are born all in one discussion :thud: :thud: :thud: . I ran to my parents & asked them if it was true....they shrugged & replied, "Yeah, it's true". BIG letdown :frown: .

Bren :flower:

 

[mommytotwo]

I think, as long as your daughter is believing that Santa is real, and since you have younger ones as well, keep that dream alive. Try doing other extra special things around the house so that the kids believe that Santa is around, and not pretend.

What your neighbor did would be hard to handle at that age. My daughter who is 4 came home from school one day saying that her friends said that your parents is Santa, and such
. But, I think he doesn't believe them since I told her that he is real, as well as the other magical fairies....

My SS on the other hand didn't believe in Santa from a young age, maybe 7 or 8 .

 

[jackfrosty]

DS7 took his elf to school last year for show and share and came back saying, "Mom are you just tricking us, some kids at school don't believe." I told him that's why they don't have elves-because they don't believe. But he hasn't questioned Santa yet-It's not long, now. :frown: If you don't believe-you don't receive, you just get underwear and socks!(I've learned that from you great bunch of Gals!)
How awful, Bren! That's way too much info in one conversation!

 

[Noelsmommy]

I am going through the same dilemma at the moment. My son is almost 9 and showed signs of questioning Santa last year. I am so worried he will say something to my 7 yr old or 4 yr old. I kinda thought maybe I will let this Christmas ride out and hope he believes, then maybe just take him out to lunch next year some time and have a chat about it. I was kinda thinking making it special, just him and me, then it won't be a this big dissapointment.

Whats everyones take on it?? I wish they all were as gullable as I was, I was like 12 when I realized!

Kelly :skate:

 

[MinnieCo]

My daughter is now 13, she figured it out when she was 10-11yrs old. I must admit though, I'm a big baby. I tried my hardest to keep it a secret and trust me, she really had NO idea, until the kids around her started talking. She came home one day, cuddled in the bed after Christmas and just had "the talk". She cried, I cried....It was so heartbreaking, becuase she is one child who is ALL about tradition. But we agreed on which traditions we would still follow and which we would not. Most we kept, except leaving the Key out for Santa each Christmas Eve, along with the cookies. I also refused to fill her Build a Bear stockings that year..LOL That was touch working, having all the family stockings, 4 pet stockings and 4 tiny stockings for her build a bears.

 

[johnasmom]

I have the same problem with my DD8. She came home from school telling me that some of the kids at school said that there wasn't a Santa. I told her that maybe they don't believe because they were naughty and Santa wasn't good to them. I was so bummed that that happened since I think she should always believe-(I do :haha: ) I'm really nervous about my DS6 hearing the talk. I think he has the potential to believe FOREVER. ackage:

When I was growing up my sister was 7 years younger than me and Santa came every year until I moved out. Then he still came and filled my stocking. Now we have changed the tradition to include all the family members who celebrate Xmas morning with us. We draw names and fill a stocking for the person who's name we draw. Little less work for my DM and everyone gets a stocking.

 

[Eaglesax]

I have no clue when my 2 DS's quit believing....actually if asked they would say they still believe (23 & 26) :haha: . It was always understood that as long as they believed, he would still come. SO, the 23 yo comes home for Christmas holidays and still expects Santa to come... 3 presents and stocking from Santa for. And when 26 yo & DIL come out for Christmas dinner their stockings are waiting on them. Last Christmas was DIL's first with us, and early in December she told me, "You know I believe in Santa too", :grin: I knew she was coached my DS, but still got a kick out of it. None of them would EVER admit they don't believe...to Mom any way.

But it seems that at a younger and youger age someone at school spills the beans and causes the question to arise.

 

[Terrylee5151]

My daughter pretended for years that she still believed in Santa, I had no idea so I just kept on having fun with it. She is now 36 and we have a good laugh about her pretending to believe. She tells me she didn't want to spoil my fun.

 

[Dreamer]

DS (15) hasn't truely believed in Santa since he was about 7 and kids on the bus told him Santa isn't real. He knows if he tells me that Santa doesn't exist then Santa wont come visit him.

This last year we did discuss that anyone could be a "santa" as we left little gifts from Santa for the nieghbors and pets here on the ranch without them knowing who did it, there are 3 other families living out here as well.

 

[Little Elf]

Two years ago when I took my kids to visit Santa, my then 6 yr. old son came up to me and told me that he wasn't Santa. I asked why and he said he could see the man's dark moustache under the white fake beard. (the smart little bugger! LOL!) So I had to explain to him that sometimes Santa can't be at all the towns and cities to do this at the same time so he has helpers to be Santa but I told my son he couldn't tell the little kids, that it would be our little secret so the younger ones won't be upset. He likes the fact he gets to have a secret about Santa. Last year he came up to me after visiting Santa and he had a big smile. He told me it was the real Santa because he couldn't see the dark moustache. LOL! So for now he does believe in Santa but knows that sometimes Santa needs helpers. So this year...we shall see how things go.

 

[Pam Spaur]

I am 61 years old and I STILL believe, thank you very much. No Santa? That's preposterous!!! I will never stop believing. Not ever!!! :sleigh:

The jury is still out on the other stuff. :haha:

:bigsnow:

 

[Noelsmommy]

Good outlook to have Pam!

Kelly :applause:

 

[InstantMom]

When my boys were 9 and 8, we explained that Santa does not live at the North Pole, but in everyone who believes in Christmas and makes it a magical, holy day for the people they love. We also talked about how much they had enjoyed the Santa story and how much fun it would be for their baby sister to grow up with the story - and that they could be Santa for her.

They are now almost 12 and 11, and they have taken to their new Santa role with delight. They also know that anyone who does not believe does not receive! After Mass on Christmas Eve, we all (including the furry kid with the big, wet nose) hang our stockings, set out cookies for Santa and celery and carrots for the reindeer, and have Baby Jesus' birthday coffee cake before we go to bed. The next day, there are gifts from Santa for all of us under our tree, as well as at Nana and Papa's house where we have Christmas dinner.

 

[dreamto]

My son is 29 and has never admitted to me that he doesn't believe. LOL he thinks it would hurt my feelings LOL.

He is a sweetie!!!

 

[KimD]

When dd13 was in kindergarden a girl in her class told the whole class that there was no such thing as Santa of God, before the teacher could open her mouth to stop her. I was working in the next classroom dd's teacher had to come and get me because she was so upset. We pulled her out to the hall. The first question she asked me is "If it's true there is no God where is my great grandma?" We had just lost my grandmother and my kids all knew that she went to heaven to live with God and she would forever be in there hearts. We had a talk on different belief's. As an afterthought she then asked me if Santa was real. I wasn't even thinking of that at the moment but had to do some quick thinking. I told her I had a secret to tell her but she could not tell anyone else. I told her that the Spirt of Santa was real. Only if you truely believed would you get one special present from Santa. She already knew that mom, dad, grandma & grandpa aunts & uncle's bought her gifts too. Somehow it has made it's way to all my kids and niece and nefhews. I will tell you they think that they are really special because they get Santa gifts at home and grandma & grandpa's house. My parents still make sure there are Santa gifts for everyone on Christmas morning at their house so it confirmed my secret. Two years ago we knew she no longer believed but she wouldn't admit it to me or my mom (she didn't want to not get her Santa gifts) Last year she finally admitted it too both my mom and me but she got to play Santa for the first time this past year.

Now my two boys 11 & 10 don't believe at all. They just go along to get the gifts, but last year my ds9(at the time) decided to start dropping hints to his 8yr old sister about Santa but even now at 9 she doesn't believe him at all. She know's that Santa brings her what she asks him for. DS10 also likes to tell her the Santa that they tell what the one special thing they want is the person it is. The fire department that my brothers volunteer for has an annual Christmas party, the same guy has played Santa for a number of years. One of his elves write down certain kids wishes then later lets the parents of those children know. We have alway's gotten the kids the one special thing they ask him for. I still haven't figured out how ds10 knows who is playing Santa.

 

[HouseElf]

We never really 'did' Santa, he just sort of evolved into our holiday. I know my boys don't "believe", but they enjoy the magic of Santa, the mischief and fun! They leave him cookies and rush to bed before he arrives at our home (they track him on NORAD). I do not give it much thought, I let them play it out themselves - keeping it lighthearted and honest.

We also have the Easter Guinea Pig, try to catch leprechauns on St. Patricks day and leave our teeth under pillows. ;-) When they are naughty my DH will tell them we are going for a walk to find a "goblin hole" to leave them in, and marvel at the lovely art that Jack Frost can do each cold winter night! Fun and mischief.

My boys are 16, 13, 10 :sleigh:

 

[alisonmcg]

My DD will be nine in February and I'm DREADING the day when either I have to tell her about Santa or she finds out for herself. :frown: She's our only child and Christmas is so special for us,seeing her little face glow on Christmas morning. I'm thinking of going along the lines of "Santa is part of the spirit of Christmas. And every Christmas ,when you have that special feeling of love in your heart, that's Santa's magic. So eventhough he doesn't actually leave the presents,we do,it's because we have that love in our hearts".I just really want to soften the blow for her because I think she'll be quite upset.