Here comes Santa Claus ..... NOT.

Boom, it depends a lot on the other kids around(not just siblings, but playmates, and friends), and how curious the child is.

I figured it out at 5, and kept both of my younger sisters believing til 6 and 8, respectively.

RH

We were extremely poor. We knew early on that economics had more to do with it than some fat little guy in a sled. I don't recall a time when I actually believed in him. Now, at 65, I believe in him, in that I believe in the spirit of Christmas.

Never believed and my parents didn't push it (we're not even Christian). However, my older brother was a devout follower until he was about 8 or 9. He got a lot of ideas from old movies. He insisted on putting out the milk and cookies every year that he was under the spell. He was even teased in school sort of like Linus and The Great Pumpkin, but he didn't give up his faith. I don't know what finally convinced him (maybe me pointing out all the presents hidden in attic helped), but he admits he felt like an idiot when the truth finally hit him. As a father he wouldn't let anyway try and convince my nieces that Santa was anything but a sweet fairy tale.

my mother one year took her boots and tapped them in the soot of the fireplace, and used that soot to make foot prints leading to the tree... turning around again , and then she cleverly placed one boot print on the back wall of the fireplace where he ( As she said) Kicked off!

Love that memory

I still believe in Santa Claus.

I was 5. My grandmother and I were living in a rooming house, and a lady downstairs had a small cardboard fireplace with brick wallpaper on it. I realized that there was just no way Santa or any gifts were coming through that.

However, I believed in the Easter bunny for much longer -- because, for several years, my grandmother put out a carrot and it was gone the next day, with paw prints in the mud! (Probably a raccoon, but I didn't know.)

Edgarblythe and I are contemporaries and respect each other. I agree with him on many matters, but I can't even look at the title of the holly jolly thread. We had different raising.. his undoubtedly more trying.

I had almost no children around me outside of school for many years. I believed in Santa until I was turning eight, and a neighbor girl gave me a clue. And then we moved to middle america...

Personally, I'm eyewaving over the santa thing. This giant construct and for what reason? I can see gift giving for personal or religious reasons, but don't get the santa business. Yes, St. Nicholas, and I went to St. Nicholas Grammar School, once we moved to the Chicago area. But then, I don't think that age 8/9-13 that I ever absorbed all that..

I lived in an area with a lot of german and irish immigrants, me being irish myself, but I don't remember believing any of the da de da de dah.
It was all sort of a spangly cloud of festivity.

So now we have this zillion dollar economic centerpoint, because of an antique gift exchange?

i think about it that way too... and I dont think I am going to pull off the santa mystery,

The 'christmas spirit' will be explained as - the feeling we get from having a house full of family and friends.
A private day with just me, dad and bean a few presents, hot coco and playing new games.

Thats it.

Hah! Little Jane was 8 years old when she found out, and she marched
into her classroom the next day and blared to everyone: "Guess what?"

Needless to say, I got some disturbing phone calls from other mothers


I myself was around 6 years old. My 5 year older brother couldn't contain himself any longer and had to tell me.

Yes, I'm all for that...

So come over and fill my house.
Doors'a swayin in the breeze

I do hope to visit you guys one day, who knows when. A simple get together.

I talked about the spirit of St. Nicholas and that Santa brought gifts to those who believed in the spirit of St. Nick (giving to children less fortunate than they were was strongly encouraged). I even kept a special roll of wrapping paper hidden away in the closet for the one gift for each of them that came from Santa each year. Any other gifts under the tree were from Mom and Dad.

Santa makes a yearly visit to Mr B's work. When the girls were small Mr B would let Santa know about a particular item that each girl had requested. I would bring the girls to his workplace and Santa would know them by name as they entered (he was the owner of the company) and he already knew what they wanted for Christmas. You can imagine that they believed for quite awhile.

I'm with edgar -- I still believe in the spirit of St Nick and bringing happiness to children, particularly those who are in need of a little extra.

My brother and I believed in Santa for a long time. Somewhere in the vault of 8mm family home movies from the '60's are shots of my brother and I nekked in a tub full of bubbles getting ready for Santa's visit. There's also one from one year when my dad dressed up as Santa Claus and scared the crap out of us by sneaking into the house to surprise us. We were so shook up that he had to remove the beard and hat to show us it was him. I think we were around 5 and 7.

Me too........

Christmas in my home growing up wasn't a spiritual fest, but they were full of family, fun and enjoyable.

Now, I have two boys, ages 13 and 9. The 13 year old lost his belief in "HoHo" years ago. But the 9 year old is still somewhat intrigued with the idea of him, even though he questioned it in the past after our niece of the same age (a few years back) explained to him in a matter of fact manner of how Santa worked.

What I told him is what others have mentioned about the spirit of Christmas, its giving to others, to family & friends and being close through the holiday. And that if he chose to believe in Santa Claus that he could as long as wanted. That even I, at my age still enjoyed the belief of Santa and what he represents.

My mother gave us gifts from Santa every year until we were well grown (read: middle aged). My 18-year old gets at least one gift from Santa every year -- usually the one I protest I can't afford it the most.

We also still do stockings -- this year the kid is getting raspberry M&Ms (???) and gosh-knows-what-all else in hers. I don't know about mine, of course -- that's her job!

Eh, I surely enjoy, shirley, others enjoying it all.

Just don't pull it on me, or you'll be sorrrrrrry.










snorrfflling.....

I was a doubter from age six, but the Christmas I was eight, Daddy wrote my name on a gift that was supposed to have come from Santa. His handwriting was the proof I'd been waiting for. I probably told my younger sister the same day.

I got a "Santa Sack" filled with goodies every year until I was 15/16.