That Santa doesn’t exist.

[Elf25]

When did your DCs stop believing in Santa and whilst they did believe what was your rhetoric about how Santa works? E.g. Santa brings presents but parents give him money etc..

I saw another related post and it made me wonder what people do..

I have an under 1 year end of so will be there soon

I never heard of Christmas Fairy. I love that idea - I’m from Europe the main day being Christmas Eve and DH is British so 25th. We will be doing 25th as Christmas but love the idea of also being able to do something on the 24th. Anyone else heard of Christmas Fairies? 😊

Ds1 was still struggling at 16 😀

He said 'I know logically he can't exist but I don't know how else all the presents get in the house'

All mine believed into senior school but at some point they stopped

Although it's very much 'don't believe don't receive' in our house 😀

When the children were old enough we told them that the parents give santa money and that's why there sre differences between what children got in other families

I told my daughter when she was nearly 9 because her then 10 year old sister worked it out. She still tells me I shouldn't have told her the truth. I didn't want her going into y6 believing. I told her not to tell her friends.

I think I remember realising that santa didn’t exist around 9 years old… maybe 10. It was before secondary school for sure. I didn’t say anything because my sister was 6 and still very much believed. I had my feelings he didn’t exist when I noticed Santa had the same hand writing as my mum… I imagine something no child notices until they get a bit older 😂 and I heard my dad put my stocking on my door at midnight and pretended to be asleep…

I don’t want to get any hate for saying this but I think it’s best children know before secondary school. I do remember having a few kids in my class mortified when they felt like idiots that everyone else knew he wasn’t real

Stockings only here. Everyone gets them - adults and children so I guess they figured it out before secondary? I didn't do a big reveal.

It's definitely easier if you just say FC brings stockings because it helps when you can't afford whatever it is they ask for.

I think you're thinking too much. I never asked this and my kids 12 and 10 never did. They just assumed all from Santa.

Father Christmas only brings stockings here with a handful of small things in. Always pants and socks for some reason.

DC are 18 and 16 and I've never explicitly told them he's not real. Mind you I'm 38 and my mum still says he's real :)
I think we talked about it once and I said if the magic of Christmas is alive then FC is real.

We always bought main presents. Santa brings smaller gifts, something on wish list about £20, selection pack, novelty socks, toiletries, stationery. Lots of items to unwrap for about £40. They never asked why Santa brought some friends a bike or laptop. I never confirmed or denied but we always left a cookie, mince pie and a glass of port just in case.

DD figured it out at 5. Just as I did.

We were very keen to keep the magic alive, but DD is uncommonly logical (as I was).

Some kids are just more skeptical than others.

Well he does exist, I've met him several times.

We buy our kids presents for under the tree and a stocking but Father Christmas also brings them a gift each which he leaves in their room at the end of the bed when they go to sleep. That's the first thing they see and open.

Thanks MN. These are great. Some of them made me laugh, the Santander being definitely one.

And sorry, of course he exists 😁.

I do like the idea of stockings from FC and the other gifts under the tree from parents / family.

As some mentioned, I think it’s good to have a story line that keeps the magic going but also sets expectations (such as very expensive gifts will not always be delivered). Well, I do think that after it was pointed out. Never thought about that and probably would’ve gone all presents are from FC as that’s how it was when I grew up.

Thanks MN for the wisdom 🙂

Don't know what you're on about OP.

Santa comes to our house every year. Takes a bite out of the mince pie, and sip from the sherry. Rudolph also takes a bite out of the carrots. We leave this out every year. Then he stuffs the DC named bags full of presents.

Duh...........🙄

We have always done small/medium presents from FC (socks, annual, chocolate, Lego, game and at least one item I have vocally disapproved of from TV adverts). They leave out a drawstring bag and it is full in the morning to be opened when everyone is awake. Main present from us and relatives/friends presents from them under the tree (to be opened after lunch).

DS is 9 and he has had a couple of times of wavering in his belief due to school chat but has since doubled down and insists he has heard sleigh bells and that presents have appeared within a few seconds... so I don't know if we will end up having to tell him or it will just evolve. His little sister is at the perfect age to believe and enjoy it all so I am definitely happy for it all to continue for now.

That what I did with my children and it's sort of happened with my GC. The eldest is 7 and a thinker, she never really believed. Now we treat Santa as fun like Halloween/scary stories/fairytales. Her school is quite diverse and once other children put different points of view and life experiences to each other and questions start, I don't think that you should lie to them. We've had to share the experiences of the refugee children to stop racism. That does change outlooks. While we can create magic, the world isn't as magical for all.

DH was absolutely furious when he discovered that his parents had been lying to him, and vowed never to do that to his kids. So DD has never believed, but was happy to play along with the story at school. As far as I know, the only time she let slip was to a friend when they were about 9, but his mum reckoned he'd probably just about worked it out himself anyway, and wasn't bothered.

I think a lot can depend on how and when you find out about Santa. I remember believing in him, I knew he was real. It didn't cause me any long term trust issues finding out he wasn't! I would never want to deprive my children of that magic. The world is harsh and cruel and they'll find that out soon enough.

I found out when I was quite old, so I was already questioning it. I just needed someone to definitely confirm my thoughts. And it happened by accident - an older boy I knew said something, assuming I already knew. I remember being shocked, not that Santa wasn't real but that my friend had just said it so bluntly and matter-of-fact. I did feel nostalgic about the Christmases where I'd believed, but I was grateful I'd had them and had the memories of believing.

Even once I knew, I liked that the traditions of stocking/mince pie etc continued - the age I found out was a time that I was already finding to be a difficult transition period, I was always 'young' for my age if that makes sense and I was trying to balance still being a kid and wanting to do childish things with growing up and wanting to be accepted by peers. I felt that those traditions harked back to that more magical time when I did believe, and for one night I could still feel like a little kid again.

Even now I think if I could live one day of my life again I'd like to little on Christmas Eve again!

I have always tried to make Christmas and especially Christmas Eve feel as special for my children as it was for me, and Santa and his magic is a big part of that for us. Once they stop believing I will keep up our traditions and definitely be explaining that Santa represents the spirit of Christmas.

Santa has never existed in our House. He's father Christmas. He still comes to fill stocking in the early hours of Christmas morning. We can see when he's due to arrive on NORAD site, which is helpful.
It's a different magic as families grow and change, but magic nevertheless.

That is an extreme reaction from your DH

He definitely exists. I met him in Lapland when I was 18!

Possibly. However there is a lot to be said for valuing truth over anything else.

We're teaching our DC that Santa fills our stockings with all the little bits and then we and other people buy them their big presents.

DS6 still believes, which I very much hope to keep going. Santa brings most gifts, the stocking and a toy sack. The tree presents are from family and friends. There is a present from mummy and daddy under the tree too, because he asked at 2 what we were buying him for Christmas and we thought he had a point. Last year he got his first nerf gun from Santa. He knows I hate guns and weapon toys, so there is no way he thinks that I buy everything!

Very easily, all the gifts from friends family etc are still from those people in our house. I buy the Santa stuff.

Those people who do all their presents from Santa, do your children not ask "Why have Granny and Aunty Buggins and Mrs Neighbour and my friend Bert all given me a present and you haven't mummy?"