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Christmas

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Original poster

What age would you tell them about Santa?

45 replies

Nosebogey · 29/08/2020 16:49

As ds gets older, he still believes. At what age should you tell them the truth if they are strongly believing still? I worry about him getting made fun of at school. I remember defending that Santa was real until I was blue in the face in year 5 and finding out a few weeks later and being mortified. 😂

I’m sad that the magic of Christmas won’t be the same if I tell him but I don’t want him to be the odd one out if his friends don’t believe anymore :(

OP posts:

Fleamaker123 · 29/08/2020 21:45

I think they work it out themselves. My son has sussed it out this year, he's 11. I must've looked taken aback and he said well it is all a bit far fetched mum!
It's a bit of a relief not to have to keep up the trickery this year to be honest. Like a PP said, they humour you 😂

Original poster

Nosebogey · 30/08/2020 03:33

Thank you for all the replies! I do think he genuinely still believes so I think I might try and get one more Christmas and then do a trail of crumbs and then if he asks, I really do like the we are all Santa type thing. I’m soppy so it would work for us.

I do wish I’d never bloody done it though 😂 it always felt a bit like lying (daft I know) so I was always dreading the reveal and now it’s getting closer it weighs on me!

OP posts:

garlictwist · 30/08/2020 04:29

This is the result of all the over the top Christmas stuff that's in vogue now - ten year olds who still believe in Father Christmas and who are devestated to know the truth. In the past kids just got a small stocking and moved on. Now it's all glitter and magic and a big fuss it makes it worse.

AliMonkey · 30/08/2020 07:54

@garlictwist I don’t agree. Our DC only got small stockings from Father Christmas with us giving them main presents and as a Christian I always emphasised the true origin of Christmas. They never wanted to “visit Santa”. Yet DS was upset to find out (though not devastated as such - though neither are most of those DC discussed above).

inappropriateraspberry · 30/08/2020 08:01

I think most children figure it themselves. I remember I didn't want to admit to my parents that I knew, as I thought I might not get a stocking anymore! Plus, many of my friends had younger siblings and we would always talk about Father Christmas with them.
Anyway, who knows, maybe he is real 😉

inappropriateraspberry · 30/08/2020 08:02

Plus, there were always the facts that he used the same wrapping paper as mum and sometimes left the price on things!! 😆

sunlight81 · 30/08/2020 08:04

Let them work it out for themselves however as they get older don't "encourage it" just mention about "gifts from xxx" etc

WhoWouldHaveThoughtThat · 30/08/2020 08:14

I reckon that Boris still believes in him.

It's the only explanation.

Cantthinkofausename · 30/08/2020 19:37

I told my ds a few weeks ago. Hes 10

Groundhogdayzz · 30/08/2020 19:41

I’m not planning on ever telling mine. My parents made Christmas a magical time and I don’t remember when I stopped believing. To this day they still insist he’s real, with a wink and a smile....

treeeeemendous · 30/08/2020 19:54

My dc are teens and we never told them. They worked it out for themselves or got told at school. They still get excited over their stockings each year albeit at about 11am when they finally get up. We have stopped leaving out mince pies etc tho, I'm not sure when it just didn't happen one year.

Vargas · 30/08/2020 19:55

Why tell them? Let them figure it out or keep believing.

WhoWouldHaveThoughtThat · 30/08/2020 19:58

@vargas
Yes I agree, Grandad believed it to the end until he slipped off the roof waiting with a bag of carrots to feed the reindeer one Christmas Eve.

Namechangr9000 · 30/08/2020 20:05

Every year, I think it will be DS last year of believing but he still does. He will be 11 soon. I love the innocence but I dont want I'm to be made fun of at school. and I want to tell him before xmas as would be loads easier as we are hopefully going away

OnNaturesCourse · 31/08/2020 09:01

My Dad still gets a Santa present delivered to his house for me every year. I'm 31. They work it out themselves, don't make a big deal of it.

Somethingkindaoooo · 31/08/2020 09:14

They work it out themselves.
Mine are 18 and 20, and I haven't told them. I'm 97% sure they know. When they got to the age where they were doubting it, I told them that as long as they ' believe' they'll get a stocking, ( or something along those lines) and I do GREAT stockings
It's all just fun

unicornpower · 01/09/2020 10:06

What do you mean? Santa IS real!

HumphreyGoodmanswife · 01/09/2020 21:55

He is most definitely real in this house. DC are 13 and almost 11 and I've never told them otherwise, they never asked. It's an unspoken rule that none of us acknowledge they have occasionally come across his presents hidden away before Christmas in my room .

We all love it, love the magic. They'll still be leaving a mince pie out into adulthood

Feminist10101 · 01/09/2020 21:57

DD has never believed in Santa, tooth fairy etc. We didn’t set it up and although the works and his wife have tried to push it on her, she’s had absolutely none of it. Reading this I’m quite relieved. So much better than having all of this stress about having to fess up about it being a lie!

inappropriateraspberry · 01/09/2020 22:01

I remember waking up and seeing my mum stood at the bottom of my bed, stocking in hand! Was probably around 8/9. She told me she was helping Father Christmas! Did it upset me? No. I should think I probably had half an idea about the truth, but was happy to carry on 'believing'.
If you think your child is going to be upset about it, they probably aren't ready to hear it yet.
I still do stockings for my parents! They get left on the doorstep in the evening!

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