Thanks for your replies - I must say I am amazed that some people keep the secret going for so long!

It is alright saying you can just speak to the older sibling not to say anything but you really have no control over what is said at school by friends etc.

I am afraid that I am of the belief that once they have doubts about santa, I dont go overboard trying to convince them that he is real. They can still enjoy christmas without believing there is a bearded man, dressed in red, flying through to sky to bring them presents.

When we were at the PTA meeting our headmistress said that she believed right up until, aged 9, she was helping at a school christmas fayre and one of her teachers said to her "Well, you dont still believe in Father Christmas, do you!" in an incredulous tone. She was shocked and stunned!

ds (11) has this year admitted he knows but will play along for dd (8). He started to look cynical a couple of Christmases ago and refused to go in the grotto last year !

I never really remember believing (my folks were rubbish at hiding presents), but I played along 'til my brother was around 10 (I suspect he was playing along, too). Now, I'm better at hiding presents, but my DS1 (9) is far from stupid, and often drags the 'Argos' catalogue over to me to make sure I can tell Santa EXACTLY which piece of plastic tat he wants this year I have no intention of telling either of mine and risk spoiling the magic, most kids work it out in their own sweet time.

ds is six and still believes, despite some kids in his year telling everyone last Christmas that FC didn't exist. Still believes in the tooth fairy as well.

Oddly enough he never ever fell for the line about Mummies having eyes in the back of their heads, though. Darn it!

mine stopped believing when they were about 6/7 I think

I would think that infants would be your target for the grotto

though junior children will still go along if presents are being handed out!

RE you're mum at the school - a god line is "You're family's beliefs are your business, and I'm not going to lie to my children in order to make you feel good about lying to yours"

But I also get ridiculously excited on Christmas eve. I KNOW who put the presents downstairs - I did ffs!

I'm fairly sure that if my 12 year old still genuinely believed in father Christmas I would a) tell her the truth so she didn't get the piss ripped at school and b) have some SERIOUS questions to ask about her physics curriculum at school.

DD is 12 and I think she still believes, but then I take the 'if you believe, it's real' line. I'm fairly sure there are plenty of kids at school who believe otherwise, but she's not brought it up for a couple of years.

My god-son is 10 & he still fervently believes,his Mum rings the house phone every Sunday evening from her mobile & he believes it FC checking on his behaviour.

He still writes a list for FC too.

My ds is only 3 but i hope to keep the magic of FC alive for as long as i can.