How many years did you get away with a visit from the real Father Christmas

[ancientwrinkles]

I mean the one that is genuinely believed in not the one that's semi believed in for free extra stocking presents...yes I actually worked it out aged 6 mum...

My dc is 8 going on 9 and still believes. I'm thinking this will be the last year as there have been rumours swirling around in class that he is for babies I love all of this so I'm hoping this won't be the last year but I've gotten everything on the list just in case!

I think my 10 year old still believes. And if the 12 year old doesn’t, she’s done a good job of not mentioning it!!
I don’t want to live in a house where no one believes 😭😭

Same @Xmasfairy86 I am trying very hard to maintain the story of if you don't believe he won't come. Seems to be working so far.

Oh man. When this crap started in my house I said 'round here, FC comes to everyone who believes and puts a sticking out'
So at 16 and 18 they still do. And get hilariously cross and silly with anyone who says he doesn't exist. All the little nieces and nephews get so excited with them. It's quite magical and ridiculous.

*stocking

I'll just add that once my horrible PIL lectured DS (aged about 12/13) on the 'real meaning of Xmas' as they are devout Catholics. They'd been told not to. Anyway DS responded 'but I have evidence FC exists, because I get all the presents, but I've never seen any evidence of God, that's just blind faith right?' And FIL was so angry he left. Which was brilliant! 😂

I think most know about Santa by 10.

@wavingwhilstdrowning

I'll just add that once my horrible PIL lectured DS (aged about 12/13) on the 'real meaning of Xmas' as they are devout Catholics. They'd been told not to. Anyway DS responded 'but I have evidence FC exists, because I get all the presents, but I've never seen any evidence of God, that's just blind faith right?' And FIL was so angry he left. Which was brilliant! 😂

Amazing 🤣

We told our DS this summer before he started secondary school and embarrasses himself.

He won't talk about it explicitly though.

FC has always brought all the presents apart from those from relatives or friends.

@wavingwhilstdrowning I like that policy. I may have to adopt it here...
I feel like I need Father Christmas just to get some easy good behaviour for a couple of months of the year...

Our church knew how to pack out at Christmas time. Father Christmas always came to our church at Christmas with free dc gifts given out by him, your PIL are missing out at their church 

@actiongirl1978 oh I dread this happening. Maybe I'll have to pull dc out of secondary school instead 😂

Oh it was awful. DD was all over it years ago. DS was oblivious to what the smart girls in the class were telling him. I felt like my heart would break.

Older teenage SS, told our boys deliberately when they were about 7 and 9 despite asking him to play along, he was 16 at the time and I suspect did it out of spite as he’d had an argument with dh!

But they all managed to keep up the pretence for dd who was 3 at the time for several years until she was about 10, when she started to question it.

I must admit, I was quite sad to no longer have any dcs believing in the Auld Man,
Although that didn’t stop them putting out the magic key, mince pie, milk and carrot, and also tracking Santa on Christmas Eve!

The Christmas before last was the last magical one (youngest was 10). Last Christmas none of them even wanted to pretend and didn't do any of the Xmas eve stuff we've always done such as milk and mince pies and a carrot. I was sad - been doing it all for 23yrs over over course of four children. Then to top it off my eldest daughter got a positive for covid on Xmas day!

So, positives are we can do a more grown up Christmas now and just need to await grandchildren for the magic to start again. I do work in a nursery so can get a bit of wonder from them in the meantime.