How old were u when F/Xmas was fictitious?

C

claridge

Cathlete
What do you mean......NOT REAL?!!! I hear you ask

"GASP!!"

Some people are telling their children basically from the age of 2yrs that Santa and even the Easter Bunny are fictitious.........because a "Lie" is a "Lie" is a "Lie" no matter how you justify it.

I know my older brother and sister found it very differcult to keep the fact it was really my Dad dressed up until I was about 7years old, then I sussed it out by myself.

I remember being more upset whether that ment, Santa wasnt real so therefore there was going to be NO more presents, than the fact Santa WASNT real!!

I could live with that, but not the "NO" presents.......... that was tooo much!

How old were you, and what do you think about telling children from the word go about Santa or Easter Bunny?

Marion
:)
 
I don't like Santa, the Easter Bunny or the Tooth Fairy. Before we had kids, DH and I discussed this and both of us agreed that we didn't like the idea of lying to our children, but we decided to "conform" and do it anyway. We did it with our older 3 boys, but won't do it with our 2 year old. For me, it felt like I was taking advantage of their trust and innocence. I always tried to avoid lying. For example, if they asked how Santa got to so many houses in one night, I would just ask them back, "what do you think" and let them come up with an answer.

Right now, only my oldest (13) knows the truth. He was very upset when he found out. I'm worried about one of my 10 year old twin boys. He still believes in Santa and I'm worried that he will find out at school and be teased if anyone finds out that he doesn't know the truth. I'm thinking of telling him the truth to avoid that - he's very sensitive and being teased about that would be very upsetting to him. I don't know if his twin brother knows the truth or not. I don't want to go through this again with my 2 year old daughter. I think that she will still enjoy the holidays just as much without believing in Santa.

I told my oldest son that Santa is the spirit of Christmas - the joy of giving to others. I've heard of another woman tells her children that Santa lives in her heart.

Erica
 
I don't remember when I found out Santa didn't exist. But I DO remember being about 7 years old, and having "Santa" come to my house to deliver a teddy bear I'd asked for! (He used the front door and not the chiminee!)
 
I don't remember when or how I found out the truth, but I can tell you this...I'm going to keep up the fantasy for my daughter for as long as possible! I don't consider it "lying" - it's adding a little magic to her life. I think of Santa as a symbol of the spirit of Christmas - which is completely real.
 
I think I was about 8 or so. My parents had a good plan(I think.) Santa only ever brought our stockings and 1 present, usually a stuffed animal(we were both girls.) The rest of the myriad of presents were from my parents.

So for us it was no big deal, and my parents still kept up the "from Santa" tag on the present till we moved out. It was kind of nice even though we "knew".

Nadine

~~Happiness is an Attitude~~
 
I can proudly admit that I figured it out when I was four. The wrapping paper I saw my mother buying in the store matched the paper under the tree. She tried to tell me that Santa delivered the presents unwrapped, but I had already suspected the whole thing was a hoax designed to manipulate children's behavior. I was something of a "little scientist." As soon as Santa bit the dust, I suspected the tooth fairy, the Easter bunny, and God himself. After all, imaginary white man in the sky who no one could prove a thing about "knew everything" and sent you to Heaven or Hell after you died depending on your behavior? Sounded like another big Santa Story to me!

I had a long talk with the nuns at the Catholic school where I went when I was in kindergarten about how I didn't believe any of it, so they might as well stop threatening me with fire and damnation!

I never told my daughter Santa was true. I considered it lying. But she had fun anyway. I said, "We all pretend that Santa comes, that he brings the presents, that he rides everywhere in the sleigh..." She still loved the whole thing, and never had to feel lied to or manipulated.

Call me too rational, but I don't regret any of it.
 
I have some awesome memories of Christmas and Easter fun in my family. I never really believed in Santa. My parents told me about St. Nick who really did exist and gave away almost everything he owned to needy families and children.. We always had fun though, plus my parents made us go to bed early on Christmas Eve and we would force ourselves to stay up. We could hear mom and dad whispering and putting the presents out so we knew it was them. We also celebrated the birth of Christ at Christmas and the resurrection of Christ at Easter so a lot of our celebrations included the true meaning of these occasions. We just had fun with the idea of Santa and the Easter Bunny. I will tell my kids the truth but we will have fun with Santa and the Easter Bunny. Also, I never spoiled it for kids who did believe in Santa or the Easter Bunny and I will tell mine(when we have kids) not to spoil it for other children who may believe/celebrate differently than we do. I really tried to believe in Santa one year b/c my neighborhood girlfriend swore she saw Rudolf's red nose one Christmas Eve and I thought...maybe...just maybe...tee hee.
Angela
 
I go ahead and let my kids believe in Santa, etc. because I feel there is no harm done (remember when you were a kid and everything was like a fairy tale?). I never felt my parents had "lied" to me. I believe we should let our kids be young for as long as they can (they grow up so fast!). One thing that my entire family will never stop believing in is the true meaning of Christmas -- Jesus' birth. Jesus is very real (unlike Santa, tooth fairy, Easter bunny, etc.) I hope that people who question the existence of God will search their hearts and look further. If you read the Bible in detail you will know definitely God exists. A lot of the events going on today in the world are prophesied in the Bible and are very real!!
 
I found out about the Tooth Fairy first, at about 7, when I caught my mom exchanging the money for the tooth. The Easter Bunny truth followed from that. I didn't find out about Santa until I was 10, though. My parents told me because I was being unappreciative of something Santa got me. How awful! I so wanted to believe in that man. I used to rationalize that Santa was able to get presents to everyone in one night because of the different time zones lol. Sometimes, I wish I still believed.
 
When I was told the Easter Bunny wasn't real I took it hard, but when they told me the following Christmas that Santa was a fake, too, it was incomprehensible to me why grown-ups would want to set children up for so much disappointment. I can remember crying and asking my mom why, why, why? I think I was six. My older brother took his usual sadistic glee in my suffering.

Needless to say, I didn't tell my son Santa was real, but he was taught to be respectful of those who did believe and not to spoil it for anyone. (The parents would do that eventually anyway, LOL.) Our faith is not Christian, and we don't celebrate Christmas anyway, so it seemed the most honest thing to do.

--Ann
 
For me I was probably around 7. I remember in elementary school finding out. Now so far as my children and grandchildren it is a whole different issue. One of my daughters was angry that we lied to her. She has not told her children the difference and left it up to them. I think they do not believe but like to play the game. It is kind of funny that we build our kids up for a "lie". If I had it to do over again I think I would not build up the tooth fairy myth, santa clause, etc.. I want them to know the real reason that we celebrate most holidays. Now the tooth fairy is one that I cannot explain. Anyone?? Easter bunny?? I guess it has to do with where you religious background.
Diane Sue
 
It never even occurred to me. Do you think there's a chance that my 9-year-old nephew believes in Santa Claus? Isn't he too old? The kids celebrate both Christmas and Hanukah and he already asked me what I was getting him. When I ask him about other gifts, he always tells me what Mommy and Daddy got him. Never mentions Santa. I hope I didn't inadvertantly spoil it for him or anything.
 
I am just trying to point out that from experience we are people that our children can trust to tell them the truth and then we lie to them about these fictitious characters. I would rather they be able to play with what they know. It is a whole lot more fun that way. Besides who really wants a fictitious character to get credit for bringing the thing their child most wanted?
Maybe I am just being a scrooge.
Diane Sue
 
Nice thread Marion:) It was Christmas of grade 3 so I was...8. A boy in my class said to me that Santa wasn't real and it was silly to think so. I asked my Mom and she told me the truth. I did not feel deceived at all but loved hearing the story how the magic happened. While we were all at Midnight Mass my often crusty and quiet Grandfather (who always sat by himself at the back of the church) would slip out of Mass each year to put the presents under the tree and get back to the church in time for Communion:)

This is the first year that none of my children believes in Santa. I blew it at Easter for my 9 year old. I slept in Easter morning and she woke up before me and alas, there were no chocolate bunnies or eggs waiting by her door. I sent her out for a walk with her older sisters and rushed to hide eggs but the jig was up and she filled in the blanks about Santa and the Tooth fairy. I thought this was very sweet, a few days later she told me that she was glad that Santa wasn't real because she was always a bit mad at him for not bringing toys to the poor children...:-( I found this to be a sympathetic and insightful observation from one so young. Tonight I brought out the Christmas stockings and Faith (my daughter) had a moment of panic when she thought that perhaps no Santa meant no stocking, I was very quick to reassure her....who can imagine Christmas without a stocking!!!! :)

Take Care
Laurie
 
Goodevening all,

This a cute thread. Here's my story. I don't know that I ever found out the truth as you all know it. One night in late fall just after the evening news my brother broke the news. He was very convincing you see. With just the right touch of sadness in his voice, he told me about the sleigh accident that Santa Claus was involved in. A bad snow storm was the cause. The reindeer were fine but Santa Claus was gone. Of course the spirit of Christmas would survive he said. The elves and our parents would carry on. So I believed. I said a prayer and that was that. I think this was my brother's way of breaking the news without taking away the magic.

We had such wonderful Christmas celebrations when I was young. The spirit of giving was with everyone in my family. We didn't have an abundance of material possessions but we were very rich. I really enjoyed the holidays back then. I was brought up to believe in the true meaning of Christmas (as my faith teaches) but I'll stick to the Santa theme today. It was so much fun pooling our money together, picking out the perfect gift, and watching the faces of everyone as they opened their presents. The traditions, food, & family were great. I still like the holidays but I'm away from home and the Season has taken on a commercial life of it's own, complete with excess & debt instead of spirit & joy. Sorry, that was so ba humbug of me.

Boy, that was more than you wanted to know. Forgive me it's late and I'm up because my husband is sick.

Happy Holidays,
jordan
 
I am puertorrican. We, in Puerto Rico, adopted the Santa Claus tradition. But we also have The Three Kings Day, which is in January 6 (beside the Birth of Christ, the 25 of december). Simply put, we celebrate when these people visited Jesus Christ and gave him gifts. And, The three kings do the same as Santa: they put gifts for the children, under the christmas trees.

Well, my parents chose to give more attention to the Three Kings than Santa, because it is a more patriotic tradition and because they didn't want to make Christmas all about Santa, but about Christ. We still received gifts on Christmas but we knew it wasn't Santa.

They told me -and my brothers and sisters- the truth about The Three Kings since I was very little, but it didn't stop me from using my imagination and living my fantasy. And, as long as I received gifts, it didn't matter much who gave them to us.

The same thing happened to my daughters. I live with them and my husband in the United States and they were born here, so the Santa fever inevitably catched them. I told them the truth, but they seem to have forgotten and chose to live the fantasy. I guess that is what happen with very young kids. Perhaps it's better to tell them this age (three years old).

I don't think children should stop receiving gifts at the same time/age they are told the truth about Santa -or The Three Kings or the Easter Bunny. That is too much of a shock. You can show them that although it wasn't true that it was Santa -or whoever- you or other people cared enough and showed their love by giving them gifts, and that that doesn't have to change...at least not yet.

Sorry for the long post or if I said something already said. I confess I didn't read all of the posts.
 
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