matrips Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 I got thinking about this today- my kids are almost 7yo and apparently they still believe. We never started out pushing the whole Santa thing, but they certainly picked up on and ran with it. They love the whole thing- the stories, the pictures, etc. (and of course the presents!) I know not everyone does Santa, but wondering who else has kids (especially first grade and up) that believe. If they don't believe, did they used to and how did they find out? Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tangerine Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 My kids know it is legend. Sometimes they pretend to believe, and that's fine with me. When they ask me, I tell the truth, but otherwise they think what they like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer3141 Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 Oh yes, they do! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommaduck Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 They know the legends of both Santa and Saint Nicholas. They do not believe in Santa, receive no gifts from "Santa", but do enjoy the seasonal cartoons. They do believe in Saint Nicholas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wabi Sabi Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 My ds is a 7 y/o 1st grader and yes, he still believes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
********* Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 My boys are (almost) 6 and 8. Neither has ever believed in Santa. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iamrachelle Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 Santa doesn't visit for those who don't believe... Of course, at 11yrs and 8yrs of age the cries of, "I believe, I believe..." from my dc have turned comical. We have fun with it, but no, they know he is a myth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeekingHim77 Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 My kids have always known that Santa is a fun game we play at Christmas time but that's all it has been for them-just a game based on the story of St. Nicholas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyandbob Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 When my son was 5 he had a temper tantrum about the presents I had purchased to give to the local family shelter. I was stressed and annoyed at his selfishness and I told he should be ashamed because each child was only getting one present and it was the only present they would get. ds responded with saying "but what about Santa". I could see things were turning over in his help. I don't remember my exact response at that time. However, my general response to questions about Santa is to say something like "does it make sense that Santa brings really expensive stuff to some kids, who might already have a lot of expensive stuff and to bring cheaper stuff to nice kids who don't have a lot of stuff." I think my dd figured it out around age 6. I will never know if youngest ever believed or still believes--he has a disability and limited speech. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twoforjoy Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 At this point, none of them do. I never pushed Santa, but I didn't disavow Santa, either, and DS7 believed in him for a while. Then this year at Easter he asked me for the "real real" truth about the Easter Bunny, so I told him, and then the whole line of dominoes fell, including Santa. ;) The two littles are too young to believe either way. Honestly, I'd prefer to just not do Santa with them at all, but I don't think DS7 or DH would go for that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 I'm pretty sure my mom thought I still believed in Santa well into college. :lol: I figured it out when I was four or five, but I didn't have the heart to tell her because it looked like she was having so much fun. So, I faked it for yeeeeeeears. Really though, I'm pretty sure she thought I still believed until I was 10 or 11. She still insists there was no way I knew. I'm a good actress. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom in High Heels Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 Yes. Indy loves and still believes in Santa. He's 9 and I'm sure this is probably his last year. He's been planning his letter to Santa for about 2 months. He only gets 3 gifts from Santa and thinks very carefully about what he asks for. I'm hoping he doesn't find out before Christmas gets here because I want him to have one more year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soror Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 Never here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starr Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 I can't believe these rumors of no Santa have started already! :svengo: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rivka Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 My 6yo still believes. I always like what my friend Jo says: "Of course I believe in Santa Claus - I AM one!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jennynd Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 yes, My 7 yrs old still believe it. Beacuse I told him if he doesn't believe, he will get nothing from Santa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twoforjoy Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 I always like what my friend Jo says: "Of course I believe in Santa Claus - I AM one!" :001_smile: When my son found out that we were Santa, he had such a sweet response. I thought he'd be disappointed and maybe a bit angry that we had "lied," but instead he said, "You guys are so NICE to get me all those presents!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aggieamy Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 They know the legends of both Santa and Saint Nicholas. They do not believe in Santa, receive no gifts from "Santa", but do enjoy the seasonal cartoons. They do believe in Saint Nicholas. This is how we do it in my house also. They know the story of Santa and how he was based on St. Nicholas. Most of what we do is focused on St. Nicholas and we do stockings on his feast day. Santa doesn't bring us any presents on Christmas - those all come from family. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FaithManor Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 No. We did not celebrate this aspect of Christmas. My children were warned that they were not supposed to ruin it for others, such as informing other children that Santa is not real, but if asked, "What did Santa bring to your house?" or some such sentiment, to respond, "We do not celebrate Santa at our home." Faith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodhaven Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 No, they have never believed in Santa. But they know about St. Nicholas (the legend). We told them it is a fun thing grown-ups like to pretend with young children. I guess it just didn't fit into how dh and I celebrate Christmas. Usually, kids who believe in Santa figure it out for themselves. They might even pretend to believe so as not to disapoint parents! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justamouse Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 They better, otherwise all they get is underwear. I believe in Santa, too. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie Smith Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 My kids don't. It isn't something we ever 'did'. Gramma and Grampa did it, and two years ago when my eldest 5 he believed. Grampa dressed up as Santa and showed up to give out presents. The next year Grampa showed up the same way but for my nephew it didn't work. (He was 7 at the time) He got upset because Santa showed up last year, and this year it was just Grampa. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mytwomonkeys Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 my son does believe. my daughter just found out last month & now she is santa's helper. my kids get one gift a year from santa. we love santa here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
golfcartmama Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 Oh yes, they do! :) :iagree:My 3rd grader definitely still believes. My K'er has had a lot of questions, but the 3rd grader keeps reassuring her that Mom and Dad would NEVER get them that stuff--it's too expensive!:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SweetMissMagnolia Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 yeah....I think so...he's 8 and sometimes he asks questions that make me think he's beginning to wonder but I leave it up to him.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abbeyej Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 My kids have always known the "real" story -- but sometimes they "choose" to believe (pretend) and that's fine. I think many kids -- whether they've been raised to believe or not -- choose to play along with the game even when they know the truth. It's fun. :) And sometimes they play along for parents' benefit... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2scouts Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 Yes, both my 5 year old and 9 year old believe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommy22alyns Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 Both of my girls still believe. I had it figured out by first grade! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaMa2005 Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 No, DS never has. We tried the Elf on the Shelf for his first Christmas home (DS is adopted from China) and the second day he informed us that there was no Santa and that BaBa was moving the Elf. Ugh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 No. They like to pretend, but they know it's actually me. We let them know from the get go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sewingmama Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 Mine believe -sort of. They know I buy all their presents but they think Santa comes and collects them and keeps them till Christmas and will only bring them back if they are good :D When they see the Santa's at the store my DD asks if they are pretend Santas and I say yes they are - so she knows they aren't real. However, she does still think there is a real Santa somewhere :tongue_smilie: I have never pushed the issue to encourage them to believe but I have never said there wasn't a Santa either. So they believe in a low-key fashion :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RainbowSprinkles Posted October 11, 2011 Share Posted October 11, 2011 I don't know for sure if dd9 still believes in Santa. She'll ask me if he's really real and I just ask her "What do you think?" and leave it at that. If she knows he isn't real, she still chooses to believe though. :) Ds7 still believes and hasn't asked any questions. My other two are two young to even really know about Santa. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IsabelC Posted October 11, 2011 Share Posted October 11, 2011 None of mine believe in Santa; they never did. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JulieH Posted October 11, 2011 Share Posted October 11, 2011 Mine are almost 8 and almost 10 and both still believe.:001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Serenade Posted October 11, 2011 Share Posted October 11, 2011 :001_smile: When my son found out that we were Santa, he had such a sweet response. I thought he'd be disappointed and maybe a bit angry that we had "lied," but instead he said, "You guys are so NICE to get me all those presents!" My oldest had a similar reaction, and it was priceless. Well, it started with the Easter Bunny and one thing led to the other, ya know. When we finally got to Santa, he looked at me with a big grin of disbelief, and said, "You mean you and dad got me all of those presents?!!" LOL, he probably thought mom and dad gave all of the boring or educational gifts..."Santa" would bring all of the stuff that mom and dad would never buy! I'm hoping he can keep the secret from my youngest for a while, but I have a feeling the word is out... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raceNzanesmom Posted October 11, 2011 Share Posted October 11, 2011 Nope, never did. We don't "do" Santa. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myfunnybunch Posted October 11, 2011 Share Posted October 11, 2011 Nope. My ten-year-old spilled the beans about the Tooth Fairy to his 6 y.o. brother, who told the middle brother. The two youngest figured it out from there and announced that if the Tooth Fairy was Mom, the Santa must be Dad. No one was unduly upset, and they still want to get gifts from Santa on Christmas morning. :) My ten y.o. already knew but promised he didn't say anything about Santa, just the Tooth Fairy. He'd asked three Christmases in a row, "Is Santa real?" I just asked "What do you think?" Two years he said, "I think he's real," the third he said, "I think it's you." He was disappointed, but it didn't take away much of the magic for him. My dd with autism believed until she was 14, despite me telling her point-blank for three years in a row. "Don't dis Santa!" she said, and walked away. :lol: In our house, every child who knows gets to help fill stockings, so they go from believing in Santa to playing Santa. It's a fun transition tradition. I think when they get older instead of drawing names for gifts, we'll draw names for stockings. Cat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joker Posted October 11, 2011 Share Posted October 11, 2011 No. My dds banded together two years ago, at 7 & 9, and we told them the truth. They laughed and felt very big that they had figured it out. They still get their stocking and a Santa gift though. I received the same until I moved out (I was 19) and looked forward to them every year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tress Posted October 11, 2011 Share Posted October 11, 2011 Of course not :D. We don't have Santa in the Netherlands, we do have Sinterklaas. My kids believe in Sinterklaas and think it is very silly of American children to believe in something so obviously untrue as Santa :lol:. I find this so funny, how can they not see the disconnect here :lol:. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lily_Grace Posted October 11, 2011 Share Posted October 11, 2011 We slowly phased it out for The Kid. When he was about 7 we started putting more emphasis on "playing Santa" and reading stories like Yes, Virginia, There Is A Santa Claus. I never want him to think there isn't a Santa. I just want him to believe he is part of that magic. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cloversandlions Posted October 11, 2011 Share Posted October 11, 2011 (edited) At the beginning of this year, then-9yo dd discovered that the Tooth Fairy wasn't real (because she asked the TF to bring her wings so she could fly; she'd also left a note to the leprechauns to keep their gold and just introduce themselves to her so she'd know they were real). She wasn't angry that she'd been lied to - she could appreciate the fun parts of it, but she was crushed that the magical world she so wanted to believe in, wasn't real after all. Her best friend, who was 10yo at the time, wrote her a lovely story about a mythical wolf (dd's favorite animal) who teaches a girl to believe in magic: {excerpt} While they were flying, the wolf said, "Believe!" "Believe in what?" said the girl. "Believe in magic," said the wolf. "Believe in fairies. Believe in magic and God." The girl said, "Okay. I think I will." The wolf said, "I believe in you, girl." And they went home. {end excerpt} 12yo ds knows "the truth" because I told him before he went to summer camp two years ago (I was afraid he'd be teased if he admitted that he still believed..which, at age 10, he did!). Now, he enjoys being one of Santa's helpers...so the magic is still real for him, but in a different way; he definitely plays up Santa, the EB, etc., for my 7yo, who still believes. And 10yo dd seems to be heading in that direction - she is looking forward to 'helping' Santa this year, too, and I'm thankful that she has found her way to believe that the magic is still there somehow...it's not how they think of it when they're little, but it's there just the same. When ds's friend was around 9 or so, he figured out the Santa thing; his mom confirmed it and said that he seemed to handle it as if it were no big deal. Later that week, though, she mentioned to him that she had to go shopping for the Easter baskets, and he looked at her, shocked, "What? The Easter Bunny, too?" :lol: Edited October 11, 2011 by WorkInProgress Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted October 11, 2011 Share Posted October 11, 2011 No. We have never done Santa. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in Neverland Posted October 11, 2011 Share Posted October 11, 2011 (edited) My oldest believed until he was about 10 or 11 I think. He was not emotionally damaged in any way and he still pretends to believe for the sake of the little ones. My 7 yo still believes. Edited October 11, 2011 by Heather in NC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissKNG Posted October 11, 2011 Share Posted October 11, 2011 No, I told them the truth about Santa as well as the Easter bunny, toothfairy, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knit247 Posted October 11, 2011 Share Posted October 11, 2011 (edited) Can't wait to read the replies. DH & I were just talking about this last night. We have a 10yo that still believes and is going to be devastated when we tell her (and we plan to soon, because she defends this belief to all of her friends and we don't want her to be embarrassed later on). Oh how I wish this wasn't an issue... OK - now have read through the replies. I am so happy that those of you with children who once believed and now know didn't have any meltdowns. I firmly believe that this is going to devastate DD#1 - and in turn DD#2. Both girls, especially #1 - have such incredible trust in DH & me. They are both very "big" on not lying and always telling the truth. And they know enough to know that you can lie by omission as well as commission. So my huge fear is that - although I have never come right out and said that Santa / Elf on the Shelf / Tooth Fairy / etc, are not real - I have let them believe it and defend it to their friends for years and years. Please tell me they will not forever be scarred... Edited October 11, 2011 by knit247 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayfaring Stranger Posted October 11, 2011 Share Posted October 11, 2011 (edited) My kids know how to tell who the real Santa (St. Nicholas) is. They just ask him if he slapped Arius. They have not found the real one yet. :) Edited October 11, 2011 by Father of Pearl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lona.muller19 Posted October 11, 2011 Share Posted October 11, 2011 Well they pretend to do and actually understand why we ask them to believe in Santa. One day my 7 year old daughter came to me and told me that since Daddy had fallen asleep, so she put some candies and sweets in our socks. She didn’t want the Christmas spirit to go away; according to her Santa is the Christmas spirit. I couldn’t imagine what I was listening. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tigger Posted October 11, 2011 Share Posted October 11, 2011 DS 7 still believes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thescrappyhomeschooler Posted October 11, 2011 Share Posted October 11, 2011 Well, my mother has never admitted that Santa isn't real, so I guess I still believe in him! :D Both my kids, 7 and 8.5 still believe in Santa, and are eagerly looking forward to Christmas, even though I've told them that Santa's finances have been affected by the economy, and he might not be able to bring as many presents this year. I love the wonder on their faces when they see the presents under the tree. Don't want to give that up until I have to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted October 11, 2011 Share Posted October 11, 2011 Mine was about 8-1/2 when he figured it out. He started with the Easter Bunny, and by the end of the day had worked his way to Santa and the Tooth Fairy. :001_smile: When my son found out that we were Santa, he had such a sweet response. I thought he'd be disappointed and maybe a bit angry that we had "lied," but instead he said, "You guys are so NICE to get me all those presents!" I was pleasantly surprised at ds' reaction when he found out. "You mean all those presents came from you guys?" Yes. "Wow! Thank you!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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