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

[Pavementworrier]

Yabu for yes
Yanbu for no

Yes, until I was about 9, my brother found the board game Operation hidden away in my mums wardrobe. God knows what he was doing looking in her wardrobe. He’s still a nosey fucker!

I don’t think I did really, or at least I wasn’t sure. I enjoyed the fun of it, though, and opening the presents in my stocking (or tights in our case!).

My DSis went on believing for longer (or pretending to) until my DM got sick of Santa Claus getting the ‘credit’ for presents she had bought.

Regarding my DDs, DD2 stopped believing quite young, I suspect (she said the tooth fairy was ‘pretend’ when she was 4), but DD1 went on believing until she was at least 10; eventually it was DD2 (then 7) who told her that Santa wasn’t real. (She’d asked me directly and I gave her an honest answer as a couple of her friends were telling her that he wasn’t real by then.)

I was relieved as I thought it really was time for DD1 to stop believing as she was due to start high school the following Separate.

I’d had no problem with ‘lying about it’ previously. When I was asked how Santa could come into our house when we didn’t have a chimney, I said that he had a magic key. Sort of lie that works for younger children! 🤣

Yes absolutely. I even thought I saw him one Christmas. I couldn't get to sleep for excitement and heard him coming in to my room to fill the stocking. I peeked and saw a red figure at the foot of my bed and, more clearly, a quick glimpse as he walked away from my bedroom door. Of course what I actually heard was one of my parents and I must have completely hallucinated the red clothing. But it kept me believing for another year, so convinced was I by what I had seen. I was about 6 at the time.

I wasn't freaked out by the thought or a strange man in my room. I attribute that to having a very safe and secure childhood for which I will always be grateful.

I do remember beginning to doubt the concept though. Strangely, it wasn't how one man could be everywhere in the world at once, but how he could fit down chimneys. We had an open fire and I knew even I couldn't fit up the chimney so I didn't see how a grown man could!

I think it’s more a suspension of disbelief. I remember buying into it - writing my letter, leaving out mince pies but when I got an orange on my stocking my mother laughed when I said “…put that back” and I plonked it back in the fruit bowl.

God yes! Til about aged 10 we all did.

Yup. With all my heart 🎅🏻

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

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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 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.

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! 🤣

No I always knew it was my parents

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.

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 😂

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 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.

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

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