Did you believe in Santa as a child, even for a short while?

That's really sweet.

My parents had to tell me the truth when I was 6 because the idea of some strange man coming into my bedroom in the night was freaking me out. I used to leave my teeth in an egg cup on the landing windowsill because I was scared of the tooth fairy too!

I did, as did everyone else I know.

I can't describe the excitement of going to sleep with an empty sack at the bottom of my bed then waking up with it full of stuff.

I still remember how magical it was 50 odd years later.

I never did, because my parents didn't tell us about him (it was just Daddy who put presents on the end of your bed, on Christmas Day and your birthday, in our family). I was vaguely aware that there was a character called Father Christmas who sometimes appeared in books, adverts etc, but I assumed he was about as real as Paddington Bear. The very first time I was supposed to be meeting Father Christmas (at my first school Christmas party), a slightly older child told me it was the caretaker dressed up. That wasn't a shock to me because until that day I had not even realised that "Father Christmas" sometimes put in personal appearances, and if I had known, I would probably have sussed that it was someone in fancy dress.

I'm nearly 60. I think the pressure to make your children believe in FC has increased a lot since my childhood. When my DC, now in their late 20s, were little I went along with it to please relatives by marriage and because I didn't want them to be the ones who upset some other unfortunate child. FC only brought the stocking presents in our house, the rest were from us or grandparents. I was quite relieved when they started insinuating that they knew it wasn't real (I think they were about 8 and 7 at the time), although I would have been happier if they hadn't initiated that conversation in a crowded café!

I believed until I was 8. But my mum sat me down and told me before I went to secondary school he wasn't real and I burst into tears. I still feel guilty - I think she thought I was that naive and she had broken my heart! But in reality my upset was the acknowledgement that I wasn't a child anymore; some kind of magic or innocence was formally gone.
My son is 5 and already a cynic 😭 because he is adamant reindeers can't fly (correct I guess) therefore Santa would need a car to deliver presents (also technically correct) and as Santa doesn't have a car, he definitely isn't doing the present delivery 🤦

This comes up every year IRL I don't know anyone who was traumatised by being " lied to" about santa ,most peoole have happy memories about believing in Santa
Its only on mumsnet I see this angst about it.

I can't remember ever believing, I distinctly remember my gran telling me about age 5, but telling her I already knew. My brother and I would find the presents my parents had hidden. My parents kept up the pretence though

We had Santa as part of the magic of Christmas, but never the idea he was real.

I knew it was Dad dressed up as Santa on Christmas Day handing out the presents.

I did the same with my boys when they were little.
Still left out drink and pie for Santa, sprinkled sparkly oats outside our door to guide Santa’s Reindeer.

But never implied they were real.

Didn’t reduce the fun experienced, and at least my hard work in choosing/sourcing presents was appreciated as all my own doing.

No “why did friend X get bigger/more presents?” (Or less) queries.

No trying to explain the physical limits of one person travelling to ‘all’ children in one night. ‘All’ not being all for cultures that don’t celebrate Christmas

Yes I think I must have believed at one point but I wasn’t heavily invested in it as none of our presents were from Santa and we didn’t make him a big part of Christmas. I was more interested in wanting to believe fairies existed when I was young.

No. Never. I thought it was creepy to see an old man dressed up as a fictional character and from the age of about 3 I flatly refused to go near John Lewis toy department while he was there.
I never believed the chimney/sleigh nonsense. I knew my mum & dad put the presents in the pillowcases so we made no pretence of it.

Yes, I did early on, but I remember it dawning on me around 7/8 that it couldn’t real. I was pretty switched on as a kid. However, I remember knowing it would break my mums heart if I told her I knew so I played along.
I’m now 41 and have never actually told her I don’t believe 😂

I absolutely believed and feel nothing but gratitude to my Mum for giving us such magical Christmases and playing the game so well. I LOVED it. Wonderful memories. No trauma or mistrust of my parents because they lied to me.

No I always knew it was my parents

Yes, but the realisation he wasn’t real dawned on me slowly and I can remember having deep debates with my friends at school about whether he was real or not, we were all torn!

My own children believed in him too and I never once said to them he wasn’t real all I said was he won't give you presents if you don’t believe so now as grown adults they just humour me! 🤣

Yes till I was about 4.
I knew santa was not real and mum got the presents.
The moments my mother would say, well its that time of the year, I have to start sneaky shopping I knew she ment Christmas gifts.

It didnt bother me either as i was never a Christmasy child.
It was to much faffing a fakeness for me, even as a child I picked up on it.

I really really believed, whole heartedly and absolutely loved it!

My son was absolutely terrified of Santa so we didn't push it on him at all and as soon as he queried it we told him the truth.

My youngest is an absolute Santa believer, she is generally quite skeptical so I was unsure at first but this year has absolutely confirmed she's really in to it.

Yes I believed. My kids still do, 8, 6, 4. Although I think my 8yo is having doubts and this may be the last year.

I remember believing in Santa Claus…I remember it as being such a lovely time! I never felt my parents had lied to me about it, I’m sure they enjoyed us believing in him and seeing our excitement in it all! We don’t have children, but we had young children in the family, all teenagers now, but it was lovely sharing in writing letters to Santa, looking through the Argos catalogue 😂, Christmas parties and singing ‘Jingle Bells’ at the top of their voices to welcome Santa…..oh! Feeling quite emotional for it all now!

Yes I did, till I was around 7/8 when I found one of my presents hidden. But I'd already started to question it. My own kids were around the same age when they figured it out too.

My DS never believed, we had to confirm that it wasn't real when he was 4, he couldn't cope with it, he is 10 now, he still enjoys the lie, we put out cookies and milk.
I had to tell DD, when she was going to secondary school.

I simply do not understand the angst about parents 'lying'. I think this would only apply if the relationship with parents is poor to begin with.

When I found out, I remember feeling awed and thankful that my parents had put so much love and effort in over the years to make it special for us.

Santa represents a bigger truth about the love and generosity that exists in the world. It has persevered as a tradition for good reason.

I feel exactly like this, it was just the most magical thing, I can't even explain it.

I believed til I was about 8 or 9, I didn't feel lied to when I found out I just thought it was a beautiful thing that all adults made this magical world for kids.

No, but only because I didn’t grow up in the UK and there was another character brining presents!
Christmas Eve, after dinner, my great aunt would usually take us to the bedroom - the “Christ child” will not come if kids try and spot it. When leaving, it would ring a bell and the presents were under the tree.

Not sure how long for, and when I realised that presents came from parents! I certainly had at the time when a neighbour knocked on the door and had a keyboard (my present) in its original box. He had accepted the delivery and wanted to bring it down, not thinking that I might open the door.

I did until I was 12! I suppose it was different times really, I was born in the 1950’s and everything was really simple. One magical Christmas morning we woke up and it had snowed overnight, my father had made us a sledge each and we spent the day playing on them 😊

I just don’t get the idea that some people don’t encourage this because they don’t want to lie to their kids. It’s just magic and imagination.

Completely agree. I think people don't understand that small children in particular develop and learn through imaginative play it is so important and should be encouraged. In the case of Santa it is just an extension of that, and once a child moves on from that part of their development they surprise surprise work it out and get on with their lives.

When my children started working it out and stopped believing I always said his spirit lives in all of us with the gift giving, love and magic of Christmas we are all Santa now bringing fun and joy (I know get the sick bucket) but I do think the fundamental Santa message should not be lost

Yup. With all my heart 🎅🏻