How many "magic years" do you get?

[ShoopShoopShoopShoop]

So, your child is old enough to understand that the big man is coming and the years they truly believe? I'm guessing 3/4-8/9? So maybe 5 years?

Yep, sounds about right, although mine still write letters to Santa in their late teens - helps Santa know exactly what they want and where to get it from.

Dont do Santa- then they’re all magic years!

Ha ha 🤣
I don't "do" Santa, but the 5 year old believes regardless. So, we kinda go along with it a bit.

But, I have never ever once said it's him bringing stockings or presents. Any time they've asked "is Santa real?" I've always been vague and say "some people think so".

And "how does Santa AND all the reindeer fit in the roof?" (I said"well, they'd have to be quite small, wouldn't they?" and it was decided that they grew and shrank lol)

But they know "definitely" that Santa and Easter bunny is real. Undecided on tooth fairy lol. But that's probably because they've never lost a tooth yet.

I was eight when my brother informed me it was Dad.
I was 17 when he stopped sneaking into my bedroom with a pillowcase full of presents.He must have had to stay awake, because I went to bed after him!
The magic doesn't stop even when they know.

I think I enjoyed the teen years more than the "magic" years tbh. I did a stocking for everyone with funny/gimmicky things and there wasn't very much pressure to get santa right. even now they are in their 20s I really enjoy christmas day with them.

Mine are 16 and 14, they still put out the mince pie, carrots for all the raindeer, shot of rum for Santa etc they like the night before Christmas story read on Christmas Eve, plus usual Christmas film afternoon on Christmas Eve as it’s tradition lol. I have never done Christmas Eve boxes they get that on 1st dec with advent calendar, xmas socks, pjs , hot choc balls etc they still like them too.

I'm not suggesting there's no joy after they stop believing, but the magic of absolutely 100% believing a fat bearded elf flies through the sky and delivers present on a sleigh pulled by flying reindeer... That's what I'm talking about.

My dd is 35. Still sends a Santa letter... To me. Still gets a filled stocking.. By me.. While family still partake in Santa...
I mean why not?
Life is shit.. The world is fucked. Keep a bit of cheer!!

Our magic years were 4-11. I had to tell DS1 &DS2, whereas DD knew from about 9!

Yeah about right, my youngest is 9 and still believes- but this will be the last year I think.

Christmas is still nice after that though , and a lot less stressful for parents, and I'm really really looking forward to binning the elf on the shelf 😂

We got until he turned 10.

My oldest two were about 7. My youngest worked it out in year 1. He had a discussion with his friend and they decided that it didn't make sense and couldn't be real. The teacher asked them not to tell the others. I suspect a lot of the kids who supposedly believe in Santa until they are ready for secondary school actually know but don't want it to end so play along.

I didn't know and had to be told. Even after I was told I still believed!!!

Mine are in their 20s. Still believe 🤣

I'd say it differs. Weird ds1 was 2 and started questioning if there's a santa do they have trolleys full of toys in supermarkets for dcs who get nothing. Much to the amazement of the cashier in Asda. Ds2 was 11. He was gullible about lots of things.

My parents got around 12 years with me (well that's if you count when I was a baby too!) But these days, with the Internet and children 'growing faster' it's probably more like up to 9! As far as I know, my 9 year old Niece and Nephew (different parents) still seemed to believe last Christmas.

Had a fuzzy period in my household where "Santa couldn't possibly get around all the houses, could he, so the parents have to help". I think this a nice stepping stone to realising that there many different Santa's...

This!

I don’t think my dd ever believed in Santa, when she was 6 she declared it to us that it couldn’t possibly be true and ruined it for her brother who was 10 at the time who apparently still wholeheartedly believed.

Of ‘believing’ our youngest was maybe 10 and just said “look, I know it’s you,”. Eldest was 18. So I guess we had about 15 magic years overall because the first couple of years when the eldest 2 they have no idea wtf Christmas is.
But I have to say, that just eases some of the pressure and makes Christmas even more enjoyable!

We didn't really have any. DS announced he'd figured it out at 5. DD is 6 now and I think still believes but we've never made a particularly big deal of it. We do stockings and leave a mince pie out and that but not a lot else Father Christmas related.

Santa is real! Stop it with this nonsense. It's still magical

Yours

Redtoothbrush (age 40ish)

Just to say we had our first no Santa Christmas last year and it was lovely, lovelier in fact because it was really nice not having the stress of the secret and nice that the kids could be openly grateful to us! Didn't feel that magic feeling of Christmas was extinguished at all. If that helps.

DD admitted to us about a year ago she knew it wasn’t real. I used to send her toy elf with her Christmas Eve box away to fill it and bring it back and as she got older it got harder to do and one year around that age (9-10) she saw me. I didn’t feel bad I was impressed I’d kept it up that long 😂. She also stopped believing in the tooth fairy ages before she told us but used to write letters asking for pictures of her. This is the first Christmas (she’s 11) since she told us she knew Santa was made up but I’m sure it will still be lovely. Just a different kind of magic.

When they stop believing they become part of the magic and seeing their faces light up when they get to play Santa os great.

When dd was 10 she begged me to tell her the truth so I did. Two weeks later she decided that Santa was real and we had one last Christmas of believing. Her first Christmas of sort of understanding was at 2 1/2. We watched the Peppa Pig Christmas episodes.