so when did you find out santa was a fraud?

I don't remember how old I was. I think I was standing by the huge oak tree in our backyard with the neighbor kids...the older and wiser ones. They laughed at me and said santa isn't real, you dumb dope. All I remember is the profound doubt...I don't know if I ever questioned my parents.

-- Anonymous, November 26, 2000

Answers

I think I was six. I asked my mom if the word on the bus was true (that Santa was fake) and she confirmed it for me. Then I got mad at her for telling me the truth, cause I wanted to keep believing in Santa. About ten minutes later something clicked for me, and then I started screaming, "What about the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, the Sandman...ALL LIES!" and my mom said she had to bite her cheek to keep from laughing because I was so genuinely enraged.

-- Anonymous, November 26, 2000

I was 11. Seriously. And I was devestated when my Gram finally told me that, while the spirit of giving that we call "Santa Claus" is real, the man in the red suit on Christmas Eve is not. I'm not kidding... this was one of the biggest traumas of my childhood. I needed so much to believe in something pure, something good. And Santa was it. Yeah, I knew about the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy, but for some reason I held on to Santa. And when I was forced to let go of the belief, I was so angry and so doubtful about everything else that I'd been taught to believe by my elders. Was God a lie too? Why SHOULD I be good, then, huh? Why should I believe anything they say?! Were they all laughing at me, a starry-eyed kid who wore a training bra but still played with Barbies and believed in Santa? Why did they keep encouraging me and go through all these elaborate schemes (The "reindeer tracks" in the back yard? The picture of the boot walking out the door? The letter in return after I wrote Santa a thank-you letter? The gift tags in strange handwriting?), even when I asked and asked for YEARS if it was really true? Huh? WHY?

If I should ever have a child or children, I'm going to teach them that "Santa Claus" = "the spirit of giving." I'll read the stories and present the myths and legends and fables. But I am never going to encourage them to believe that a man in a red suit comes to their house on Christmas Eve and leaves them ten tons of presents. Not just because I was so hurt to find out it was a lie, but because it's so problematic anyway. I mean, why does ___ get all these gifts when s/he's so mean? Why doesn't ___ get nearly as much? What about all the poor children? Why doesn't Santa just bring them gifts? Why can't Santa bring Mommy a car that works or bring us a new refridgerator? Why did he bring us so much stuff two years ago but not nearly as much this year?

So I have major Santa issues. So?

-- Anonymous, November 26, 2000

The first seed of doubt was planted when I was rearranging the presents under the tree Christmas Eve and saw one present marked "From Santa". My parents told me that he must have dropped that one early. Okaaay....Then, I was looking in the back of the laundry room for something about a week after Christmas and found the leftover wrapping paper that Santa had used. After that I was just like, alright, he's not real, and never thought about it after that. I was around 7 or 8 I think.

My sister was the one that had problems with the truth. She was 11 and came home crying because some boys had laughed at her and told her Santa wasn't real. I mean, she's heard it on tv, on the radio, whispered among friends, but for some reason never believed it. Even after my parents admitted there was no actual Santa Claus, she STILL wouldnt accept it.

Oh well, my sister was too emotional about everything back then. Now I'm the one with wild mood swings, go figure.

-- Anonymous, November 26, 2000

I found out when I was about 4 or 5. I have an older brother and sister, but they didn't tell me. It was the neighbors cousin.

My kids still believe. I almost blew with the Easter bunny last year. I leave 4 clues for my kids to find so they can find their candy. My youngest said, "Hey! That's the same yellow paper we have!", and my oldest said, "Yeah, and that's YOUR handwriting!". I quickly said that the Easter bunny has big paws and asked me to help him write the clues. Then I ate all of their candy.

-- Anonymous, November 26, 2000

We never believed in Santa. We always just told our parents what we wanted.

My believes, though. When we were house shopping, his litmus test was a chimney/fireplace he deemed Santa-worthy.

-- Anonymous, November 26, 2000

one of mas hubsands told me he was santa he used to wisper it to me and i all ways wondred why santa had booze breth lik me step dadyy

-- Anonymous, November 26, 2000

I believe I came to a gradual understanding. I can distinctly remember, however, my dad at one point asking me something along the lines of, "you do know that there isn't really a Santa Claus, don't you" and I responded that I knew that and everything was cool. He seemed relieved. I was glad, actually, because I felt a lot more grown up, since me and dad seemed to have bonded a little bit right then.

-- Anonymous, November 26, 2000

I was four. It was the summer before I went to school for the first time. I was getting something in the kitchen and thought,"flying reindeer don't even make sense." Then I went outside and confronted my parents. They told me that I was right, but that I was not allowed to tell any other kids or my siblings. So I didn't.

I had a lot of disdain for the kids in my kindergarten class who didn't seem to have a clue.

-- Anonymous, November 26, 2000

I can't remember exactly how old I was, but, uhhh, it was my little sister who filled me in. She's way more worldly than me.

-- Anonymous, November 26, 2000

I don't remember how old I was exactly, but I think around Kindergarten. It wasn't earthshattering, and I know I kept on pretending for a long time for the sake of my siblings.

My daughter is a BIG believer in anything magical. We're going to have to start soon, slowly shifting from "Santa" to deeper themes. The other night I was reading her a story, and she asked me if we could go on a unicorn ride at the county fair. I guess ponies just don't cut it anymore.

-- Anonymous, November 27, 2000

Shelly -- HA!

I guess I came to the gradual understanding as well, because I really don't remember how I found out. We told my oldest kid about Santa, because Paul wanted to. Then every year, he'd ask more and more questions, and I'd have to change the details. I was pretending for a while that Santa filled our stockings and didn't buy any presents. I don't know if I'll bother with that this year.

Last week they had a Santa Claus at the mall. I told Paul, "I can't believe Santa Claus is here already." My kids looked at him from the second floor railing. Then we walked away. I like it that way. Santa is just a minor celebrity to them, I think. I wish I'd never told Goku anything about him bringing us gifts.

The only myth we perpetuate is the Tooth Fairy. She brings the kids five dollars per tooth. Goku told me that his cousin got twenty dollars for her first tooth. He wanted to know why. I took him aside and whispered that the Fairy only gave her five, but that her daddy added the extra fifteen so they could show off.

Ha. I'm funny.

-- Anonymous, November 27, 2000

man, I only got a quarter for my teeth when I was little.

-- Anonymous, November 27, 2000

Well, send me one of your teeth and I'll give you five bucks for it.

-- Anonymous, November 27, 2000

You're kids do better than mine. I gave $5 for the first tooth and $1 for the rest.

Once I forgot to put money under his pillow and he was all bummed that the tooth fairy forgot, but then I told him that she was just probably playing a joke on him and he didn't see it. So while he was eating breakfast, I ran to his room and put some money under his pillow and told him that he should look again just in case. He never suspected a thing.

And Gwen, you are funny!

-- Anonymous, November 27, 2000

What? Wait a minute, are your saying there is no Santa? Oh no, say it isn't so.

-- Anonymous, November 27, 2000

The tooth fairy used to "return" my teeth with the money. As a result, I had an empty Tic Tac box full of my baby teeth until I was a teenager. I can't remember how much I would get, usually forty or fifty cents, I think.

-- Anonymous, November 27, 2000

Our street in the burbs was populated by mostly girls 2 years older than me, and when I was 6, my next door neighbor, who was 8 and who I believed to be the coolest, smartest, most daring human alive, told me that there was no Santa Claus. I can't say I was shocked or shattered, my parents never really tried to convince me of the existence of Santa and freely acknowledged that the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy were fairy tales, but I remember being totally pissed off at the story "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus" or something like that. In my logical little daughter-of-an-attorney mind, that particular essay made a very strong argument for the existence of Santa, and that it turned out to be written by an adult who obviously knew the truth of the matter outraged my sense of fairness and truth. I wanted to launch a protest on behalf of all children who believed those well written lies. Not only did they control cooky consumption and set arbitrary bedtimes with no respect for my need to finish my Leggo castle, but adults were manipulating our young minds with elaborate fabrications that set us all up for horrible disappointment.

I would have started the Revolution of Santa-less Children that very day...but there was a Strawberry Shortcake doll to be played with and Smurfs to be watched.

-- Anonymous, November 27, 2000

Laura Ingalls Wilder ruined it for me. It's in one of those "Little House" books.

This is probably a strong argument in favor of not teaching children to read at an early age. You would not believe some of the stuff I picked up from books that were not intended for someone my age. And I don't usually mean Laura Ingalls Wilder, either.

-- Anonymous, November 27, 2000

Ditto what Jette said. When you learn to read at age three or so, suddenly you learn things that you shouldn't know and start asking annoying questions. D'oh! I WANTED to believe, though. I tried to "catch" Santa by getting up really early and tiptoeing. Perhaps I figured I'd write an expose': SHOCKING TRUTH: SANTA *IS* REAL! THing is, I couldn't write worth a damn until I was 7 or 8. (Some people would say that I still can't write worth a damn.)

I was proud of myself that I didn't bust my baby brother's bubble about Santa. There were many times when he was being a brat that I wanted to pop out with the disillusionmnet, but I was good. When he did start asking the hard questions, though, I got tagged for spilling the beans. I WUZ FRAMED! (It was the neighbors' kids, I guess. They were pre-teens when we were growing up.)

-- Anonymous, November 27, 2000

My parents used to lock us into a bedroom and my dad would climb up on the roof and stomp around yelling all the Santa things while my mom would scramble around putting out all the "From Santa" presents. (no chimney). I found out Santa wasn't real when my dad fell off the roof and had to go to the emergency room.

-- Anonymous, November 27, 2000

I kinda knew from the get-go that no fat white boy dressed in red would be crazy enough to go wandering around my neck of the woods after dark. I can never remember when I didn't know that Santa was my Dad. Didn't spoil a thing for me. Bummed my two sisters, though.

-- Anonymous, November 27, 2000

My parents have other people write the thank you notes Santa and Santa Mouse leave for the cookies and cheese we kids leave out so we wouldn't recognize their handwriting. Pretty crafty, those two.

My mom told me when I asked her in 3rd grade, and then told me if I ever told any of my siblings, Santa would never bring me anything ever again- but as long as they still believed, I would still get presents. 15 years later and I haven't told a soul- although my youngest brothers are getting old enough to figure it out.

-- Anonymous, November 28, 2000

Santa Mouse! You know Santa Mouse!?

Oh, my mom was the craftiest of the crafty.... The fake Santas at the department stores? Those were Santa's Helpers, because Santa couldn't be at every department store in greater USA. And surely Santa didn't make Barbies at his North Pole workshop? Of course not! Toys 'R' Us stayed open for him! And how come the wrapping paper was the same as ours? Because Mom would leave it out for him to use in case he ran out. Man, she was good.... different hand-writing on the tags, different papers and ribbons, cookie crumbs, reinder tracks-

Even though I read the LIW stuff and the "Yes Virginia" stuff, I still believed. I remember thinking that when Mr. Edwards brought the presents from Independence to the Little House on the Prairie, that all he brought was the candy... Santa had given him the other stuff. And during The Long Winter, of COURSE Santa couldn't get through those blizzards! Later books? Why, Santa only came to children! Der!

Trusting little soul, wasn't I?

-- Anonymous, November 28, 2000

Oh, we love Santa Mouse. We read it every year. We also do a Christmas program every year, and for the past few years, since I can't sing or play an instrument, I've had to do the story of Santa Mouse via interpretive dance. My sister put it on the program as a joke but I did it anyway, and it's now the most popular part of the program.

-- Anonymous, November 28, 2000

Please say you will take your "Santa Mouse, The Interpretive Dance" show on the road. That sounds truly priceless!

-- Anonymous, November 28, 2000

When my nephew was younger (he's 8 now), my father used to call his house on Christmas Eve and leave a message from Santa on the answering machine. My sister would make sure the house was empty so Dad could leave the message and not have to worry about my nephew picking up. Everyone else in my parents' house would crowd outside the room where my Dad was making the call and nearly kill themselves stifling the laughter as we listened to him leave the message, complete with "Ho ho ho"s and all in his rather distinctive Newfoundland accent. He stopped doing it a couple of years ago in the fear my nephew would realise that Santa Claus sounded a lot like his Pop. :)

-- Anonymous, November 30, 2000

I love christmas.I just always have.When I was 3 my dad tld me i was realy lucky and I was going to santas work shop.THey have this place up in Vermont called "Make believe land".My sister and I did not know exatly how far the north pole was so we thought we were ther when we arrived in Vermount.Everything was going fine till we were leaving and A reindeer got loss and we hit it)=

-- Anonymous, December 09, 2000