Did You Ever Believe in Santa Claus? Memories and Discussions

[Dremmer]

How did you feel when you found out that there wasn't really a Santa Claus, if you ever believed there was?

 

[Evo]

How did you feel when you found out that there wasn't really a Santa Claus, if you ever believed there was?

I already had my suspicions, I mean come on, lived in the North Pole, flying animals? invisible? able to get into the house undetected? all in one night? so it was fun to confirm that it was a game.

Elves?

 

[Dembadon]

How did you feel when you found out that there wasn't really a Santa Claus, if you ever believed there was?

What are you talking about?!? How do you think all those presents make it under the tree in one night, huh? Jiminey Christmas! You people just don't let-up, do you? You'd better post a peer reviewed article supporting your crazy conspiracy theory.

Actually, don't even bother trying to explain yourself. I've heard every lame excuse in the book. Your loaded question won't convince me of anything!

 

[leroyjenkens]

Considering I didn't have a chimney in my house, yet Santa got in anyway, it didn't take me long to figure it out. It's one of those things that kids can logically figure out at a very young age, kind of like the many problems with the Noah's arc story.

I didn't really care that Santa didn't exist, because I got presents anyway and that's all that mattered.

 

[lisab]

Nah, I never believed in Santa. Same thing when my parents would take me to church, I was simply incredulous that adults really seemed to believe what was being said.

 

[hypatia]

I still believe.

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

My parents always tried to bring out the magic in childhood. They told me that they bought the gifts for me and I delighted in the safe and secure knowledge of how they loved me and wanted me to be happy. However, about the age of 6 I think, I started noticing little things, like soot marks on the carpet, missing cookies, and milk gone from the glass that was left out. By the age of 10, I had figured it all out. Now I no longer believe in parents.

 

[Evo]

My parents always tried to bring out the magic in childhood. They told me that they bought the gifts for me and I delighted in the safe and secure knowledge of how they loved me and wanted me to be happy. However, about the age of 6 I think, I started noticing little things, like soot marks on the carpet, missing cookies, and milk gone from the glass that was left out. By the age of 10, I had figured it all out. Now I no longer believe in parents.

 

[Loremaster]

Hey, where's the spoiler alert??

 

[Vanadium 50]

As the immortal Slats Grobnik said, "Anybody who could get in and out of that many houses without being seen is going to take stuff, not leave it."

 

[Chi Meson]

I remember when I was 4 years old (nearly 4, that is), and visiting Santa at the local "Vality" (like a Wal-Mart of the 60s). I noticed the strange white band under his nose that held the big white beard to his face. I recall getting enormously spooked and I got really scared as I realized I was sitting on the lap of some complete stranger.

Evidently, this is normal behavior. Over the following weeks, it all became clear: dozens of santas were visible everywhere. My grandmother in Ohio, 300 miles away, said that "she had just told santa what to bring me." ("But I just saw him right here," I thought.) My incipient sense of logic was saying things did not add up, and this was before I could add.

The question became, what do we tell our kids (now 5, 7, and 9)? When they ask about him, we respond "well what do you think?" etc. Same with all the other myths (yes all).

One certainty from the get go, we never, ever took our kids to "see Santa." That ritual is anathema in our household.

 

[zomgwtf]

I remember when I was younger my grandma was drunk one time wrapping presents and wrote 'From Santa Sue' hahahaha. I remember being like SEE I TOLD YOU HE DIDN'T EXIST. I felt like I solved the answer to life.

 

[turbo]

My family was not well-off by any means but my parents made sure that my sisters and I always got a few gifts at Christmas. I figured out Santa was a hoax when I was about 4 or 5, and I overheard my aunt telling my mother that a particular family wasn't going to get anything for Christmas. I was friends with several of those little kids, and I knew that they were nice, so the "Santa brings toys to good girls and boys" rule was obviously not true. Combine that with the fact that the jerk next door always got lots and lots of stuff for Christmas and the Santa myth was suddenly implausible.

 

[Averagesupernova]

I have some comments concerning the beliefs some people hang onto concerning religions vs. santa clause but I really don't want to get this thread locked so I will refrain. I don't recall when I figured out Santa didn't exist.

 

[Panwasbipolar]

I figured it out. I was sad.
But you could look at it as a learning experience if you move on to Atheism later.

 

[_Tully]

http://web.archive.org/web/20041113.../palace/library/humor-tech/santa-physics.html

"Besides, Santa simply realizes all of his alternate quantum states at once. Everybody knows that."

=D

 

[Dremmer]

I always figured Santa Claus was magic which explained why he could do the stuff he did. I know the truth now. I never really believed those mall and store santas were actually santa, but people pretending to be santa.

 

[Moonbear]

When I finally figured it out, I was worried, really really worried. If my parents found out I knew Santa didn't exist, would they still buy me as many presents? I had to pretend to believe for a few more years at least! Then, one day, my mom soothed all my fears. She told me she had a secret to tell me, and that I was old enough to know there was no Santa...but I had to pretend there was one for a few more years so my little sister wouldn't know since she was still too young to tell. Woo hoo! It was the one time that it paid off to be the big sister. I got two more years of Santa presents than my sister who always wanted everything I got when I got it. Muwahahahahaha! When she got to the age I was when my mom told me Santa didn't exist, she didn't get two more years of presents, she got cut off! (She had it all figured out before then too.)

 

[Ivan Seeking]

All of these excuses for not believing in Santa are absolute nonsense. It is obvious that Santa is from Gallifrey. That explains everything.

 

[Monique]

I definitely believed in Saint Nicholas (the original Santa Claus). As a child you are supposed to believe in magical things, right? I remember getting up early in the morning and walking down the cold and dark stairs into the dark living-room, in order to check my shoe every morning for gifts. I was singing songs to the door every night for two weeks, in order to make sure that Saint Nicholas or one of the Petes would come to bring a gift.

From the time that Saint Nicolas and the Petes arrived in the country I would be looking up at the roofs, in the hope I would catch a glimpse of them.. and sometimes they would be there! The idea of a nation-wide conspiracy never crossed my mind at young age. Of course, when you become older you start to wonder exactly how they enter the house, the door was always locked and there was no chimney that they could climb through (I checked the attic). Finally I went out to look for a closet where the gifts must be stacked and found it, so that was the end of it

I like Moonbear her story. I was also lucky for having a younger sister.

 

[Astronuc]

Like Evo, I was figuring it out on my own around 2nd grade, then my parents confirmed my suspicions, but then I had siblings, so like Moonbear, I had to play along.

 

[Evo]

Santa never made sense to me, but the Easter Bunny, now that made sense! I think I held onto the bunny longer than Santa. The bunny brought candy!

 

[turbo]

I never glommed onto the Easter Bunny. After being dragged to church almost ever day during lent and having to give up candy, sweets, and treats, my tolerance for the Easter bunny was shot. We lived in a climate in which the EB could not possibly hide treats outdoors, so we had to look under the stove, behind the TV, etc. Not good.

 

[Monique]

For those of you who like to watch a scary movie, I can recommend this one: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1167675/" .

About the Dutch Sinterklaas (Santa Claus), who is real and comes to take children when it is full moon on December 5th. The movie is filmed in Amsterdam and has some pretty good action in it. Are you sure you don't believe in Santa Claus? Better watch out for the full moon

Youtube: (scary content)

 

[Astronuc]

Santa never made sense to me, but the Easter Bunny, now that made sense! I think I held onto the bunny longer than Santa. The bunny brought candy!

We called Santa, Father Christmas, and of course in the S. Hemisphere, Christmas came in early Summer. I don't believe I heard White Christmas until I moved to the N. Hemisphere. Similarly, Easter was observed in the Autumn. Bunnies are kind of a scourge in Australia.

 

[Dadface]

Of course Santa exists.NORAD tracks his flight every year.What further proof is needed?

 

[physics girl phd]

On Christmas night, my siblings and I used to sleep in our sleeping bags around the tree at my grandparents. I have a fond memory of rolling my sleeping bag into my sister's pogo stick and waking up... finding Grandma in the kitchen making tea, and telling her Santa had come.

I don't remember the moment of revelation... but I do remember the fun of searching the house for hidden as-of-yet unwrapped presents pre-Christmas.

We have yet to decide if we all have to re-believe for little E. It's being debated.