At what age did your children stop believing in Father Christmas?

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What age did your children find out about Santa?

Just that really. Trying to work out how many more years I have left with my oldest!

I’ve never told mine he doesn’t. As they are 21, 18 and 16, I think they managed without being explicitly told.

stockings were only ever from FC any way, so not so much a big deal.

I have a 9, 7 and 1 year old. All still believe but 9 year old has questioned this year, we’re really hoping we can get to Christmas with her still believing this year! Don’t think she’ll believe next year.

We told eldest DC before they went to secondary school

Younger DC has autism and still believes age 10 which is lovely

Mine was 3, just before his 4th birthday…but he has always been an odd one.

His take on religion came at round the same time when he explained to me that it couldn’t be true because ‘where did all the baskets come from’ (to put the leftover bread and fish)

And Disney Characters at age 4 - are you looking forward to meeting the characters son? ‘They’re not real, they’re just made of cardboard boxes and stuff’

And when he lost his first tooth…have I told you about the tooth fairy son? (Meaning do you know you get cash under your pillow for your tooth) ‘Is that just like Santa’

🙄 No fun at all. BUT he did used to cry on Christmas and dive all over us saying thanks when he was opening things so I suppose at least he wasn’t thanking a fake man in a red suit

When I was at school, it was a point of honour not to disillusion anyone who still believed. I’ve noticed that in children today, too.

But I did know someone who just regarded this all as lying to children.

I think you might mean the “Dear Virginia” letter (google it). A letter from the Editor of a newspaper decades ago to a child who had written to the paper wondering about the existence of Santa Claus. It’s basically about finding a way to answer vaguely about the magic and delight about Christmas.
My children are all adults now but I always think the best advice is to prepare your age appropriate answer well before the question is asked 😊 🎅 .

I think DS still believed a bit at age 10 although I'm sure he had suspicions and definitely didn't believe in the elf. He still seemed keen to go the Santa grotto etc.

Then by 11 I was fairly confident he didn't believe, I didn't say anything about visiting a grotto, writing a letter, and the elf didn't bother coming out.

Both him and older DD still pretend that Santa is real though.

My 5 year old knows we buy presents we know they will like to help Santa because the world is such a big place. Then Santa brings them on Christmas Eve ready for the morning. All present buying is still done in secret however and then stashed out of the way. I'll be honest I'm not letting Santa take all the credit for getting the right present!

My son (now 50) was about 7 or 8 but I think he definitely had doubts sooner. We still went to Santa's Grotto though and he just enjoyed it for the fun/seasonal activity that it basically is.

Genuinely don’t know if mine do. They are 7 and just turned 10.

The 7 year old, ok, yes I’d say he probably does.

The 10 year old, I’m not sure he ever has. But he’s always gone along with it and still does.

I’m hoping that we will all just keep the pretence up either way.

My oldest declared that Santa was fake at about 6 and declared he was real again at about 8. He's always been very logical thinker so I think he knew but then realized the whole 'Santa' stuff was more fun to go along with.

My younger 2 who are 8 and 5 have never mentioned anything.

I knew at 5, first year of school someone dad told them and they told everyone. I also found it was more fun to carry on pretending than to be the wet blanket who tried to ruin it for everyone by telling everyone I was 'smart enough' to know it was fake.

Just because they know doesn't mean anything has to change.

Not aimed at OP but other threads pop up annually and I don't really get why some people make a big deal out of if kids know or don't. Especially the ones that are like 'my kids getting too old, they must be naive, I have to tell them and ruin the fun for them' its just so very 'bah humbug'. Its just harmless whimsy, I know Santa's not real but have Santa Xmas decor and stuff even as a middle aged woman. Same way they know cartoons and films aren't 'real' either but enjoy watching them and imagining its real but no one ever sits a kid down to tell them Peppa Pig doesn't really exist lol.

My older two (now 10 and 8) went backwards and forwards between believing and not believing from about 6. 10 has understood its all made up for the last 2 years, 8 is a bit unclear but I think will firmly understand this Christmas. I think everyone around them insisting he’s real when they’ve been told he’s not was confusing for them.

4 year old is in the first year of really ‘believing’ - I think under 4 they don’t really get what’s going on. We happily play along as long as the child wants us to.

We don’t make a lot of effort with Father Christmas - we put a mince pie out and food for the reindeer. Their stockings (sacks of presents) come from him. But I don’t care if they believe or they don’t. If they ask me if he’s real, whether they’re 3 or 13 I’ll tell them.

Mini blondes still believes and 9.5 but I think this will be the last one as kids talk in the playground and she did casually ask if he was real last week and I said yes of course (esp so close to Xmas) and she was all smiles and said good

but if she asks next year and yr 6 I will have to confess ……

I don't think he ever believed. We didn't encourage it.

I read this once - thought it was perfect

Thank you for your very good question: "Is Santa real?" And Am I Santa?

I know you've wanted the answer to this question for a long time, and I've had to give it careful thought to know just what to say.

The answer is no. I am not Santa. There is no one Santa.

I am the person who fills your stockings with presents, though. I also choose and wrap the presents under the tree, the same way my mum did for me, and the same way her mum did for her.

I imagine you will someday do this for your children, and I know you will love seeing them run down the Christmas magic stairs on Christmas morning. You will love seeing them sit under the tree, their small faces lit with Christmas lights.

This won't make you Santa, though.

Santa is bigger than any person, and his work has gone on longer than any of us have lived. What he does is simple, but it is powerful. He teaches children how to have belief in something they can't see or touch.

It's a big job, and it's an important one. Throughout your life, you will need this capacity to believe: in yourself, in your friends, in your talents, and in your family. You'll also need to believe in things you can't measure or even hold in your hand. Here, I am talking about love, that great power that will light your life from the inside out, even during its darkest, coldest moments.

Santa is a teacher, and I have been his student, and now you know the secret of how he gets down all those chimneys on Christmas Eve: he has help from all the people whose hearts he's filled with joy.

With full hearts, people like me take our turns helping Santa do a job that would otherwise be impossible.

So, no, I am not Santa. Santa is love and magic and hope and happiness. I'm on his team, and now you are, too.

I love you and I always will.

Mum xx

Mine still believed in Santa till about age 11 but they carried on pretending or hedging their bets till they were 12

DD started having doubts at 5. She experienced a short revival of belief when we spent Christmas in Lapland but recently (at age 6) she said she wanted the truth as she thought it was me, not Santa, that filled the stockings. I gave her a garbled speech about how Santa is a feeling rather than a person and reminded her not to spoil it for other kids.

A couple of weeks later, she said, "It would be ok if we carry on believing in Santa, wouldn't it? We can still put out the mince pie and the carrot for Rudolph." And that is exactly what we will do.

She's a very logical and analytical person and always needs to know "how" things happen, so a magic man on a flying sleigh was never going to escape scrutiny for long.

Mine was 8/ a few months ahead of his 9th birthday. He clearly had doubts and decided to check them on google. He then announced to me that 'Mum, I know you've been lying!'

My DS has questioned this quite early on, I think around aged 6. I tackled this by telling him ‘if you don’t believe, he won’t be visiting’. He’s 15 now and still ‘believes’.

My brother and I were never taught to believe in Santa. We always knew mum and dad got our presents.

DS was 7. DD was 6.