This thread was inspired by another thread where kids belief in Santa were mentioned.
I wondered how many people remembered being told Santa wasn't real, or telling their kids or what they've told their kids about Santa in general. More importantly have any other parents got negative memories of Santa with themselves or their kids.
My reason being is for the first 6 years of my DS' life I did as many do taught him that Santa brought his gifts and that he'd buy him one big pressie and a selection of smaller ones. It was never excessive. I took him to see Santa a few times. Although he loved things like Reindeers when we took him to one with real deer, as well as loving music and train rides with Santa experiences. Meeting Santa he always seemed a bit scared. As many parents so I just put it down to nerves and kept trying. When he got to 3-4 year old he began to suffer nightmares, night terrors and sleepwalking as soon as the dark nights hit. We had doctors involved and honestly thought he was showing signs of SAD. However one year as I prepared Santa's tray, he was 6 and I tried dto get him involved in setting things up. He wouldn't help. When I sent him outside to scatter reindeer food he promptly tipped it into a drain. I assume sit was.an accident and assured him they'd find us anyway. The previous year he'd found out that our chimney was a fake.chimney breast with electric fire and asked how Santa came in we'd then introduced the key hanging it just outside the door for Santa to get in and later found he'd opened the front door by standing on a chair to get the key and.hidden.it under his pillow. I even took photos using an app of.Santa bringing his gifts in. All believing I was keeping the magic of Christmas alive. Until one day when he was 6 he came running in crying on Christmas Eve saying he didn't want Santa to come that he didn't want the man in his home and that he'd rather not have presents and that why can he still come in when we don't have a real fire and he had hidden the key. Poor kid was so terrified of this strange man coming into his house after a bad experience of burglary/home invasion, we were scaring him silly all the time we thought we were making Christmas magical. Telling him it was normal for a strange man to come into his home and that he could get in anyway whether the means we're there or not. I remember the relief on his face when I told him the truth and explained that the story of Santa was a