Enlighten me.

I've never had the opportunity to believe that Santa was real. I've always known he was not real. This is probably better b/c it taught me from a young age to be thankful for the gifts my FAMILY put under the tree and not a jolly fat man.

what!!!!?? Santa's not real??! lol

When he didn't write back...

I'm not sure I ever believed in Tomten in the first place - there was no proof!!!

and I was (and still am) highly skeptical of everything people tell me

I didn't really know what santa "did" until primary grades, and my teachers would insist Santa is real, though no one in my family told me before and handed me my christmas presents or kept them under the tree in advance (I'm not a Christian, we just did it for fun). After I found out about Santa, my mom and I wrote a letter and I requested a Barbie and the Rockers video I rented and loved, I wasn't dubbing it cause I was sure Santa would give it. When he didn't, I just dubbed it for myself and felt betrayed and then on Christmas Eve a year later, the teacher that year insisted Santa was real and we were all in a play about Christmas, but I was in my basement where the chimney was....and I was scared to be alone! But I pushed myself to stay there and he didn't come *whew*

[Edited 1/16/11 1:43am]

When my Mother decided to study to become a Jehovah's Witness (she is not now and my childhood was not good because she become a JW and we all had to follow). I was about 6.

I had no Christmas, Birthday, Easter etc - it was a miserable time watching other kids enjoy themselves and we had nothing.

when i was 6 or 7, saw presents wrapped and named in my parents room before xmas day, mums handwritting...

my rugrat stll believes, he is nearly 12....

well, he is clever...you dont receive if you dont believe!

I don't recall exactly.. somewhere between 7 or 8 and 10 I guess...

I came across some hidden wrapped presents, and my mom was like "Oh, since Santa's so busy, we're just helping him out..."

didn't take long to click after that..

but had to keep up the pretense; I am the oldest.. so pretended for all my younger siblings and cousins...

BklynBabe said:

He's real if you sit on his lap and grind a little...

I'm not sure how old I was, but I was young.

I grew up in a house without a fireplace. My parents had (still do! :lol) one of those 1960s stereo-bar-fireplace units with fake logs and a flickering red light to look like flames. I was sitting in the living room trying to figure out HOW THE HELL Santa came through that thing. Then I realized the chimney was connected to the furnace!

I asked my Mom about it, and she started stuttering. Man, that was messed up.

My sister said she figured it out when she heard my Dad downstairs cursing and pitching a fit trying to put together some toys we got.

wha.....?

I don't exactly recall, but it was pretty early on -- maybe age 5ish. I remember being at the mall with my father at Christmastime, when a reporter for a local evening news show came up to me with a mic wanting to know what Santa was bringing me. To my father's horror, I disclosed to all of Greater Cleveland that I didn't believe in Santa and that he was "phony baloney." It didn't hurt my dad so much, but he thought it would devastate my mother, who has always been big on Christmas.

I remember she interrogated me a bit about why I didn't believe in Santa, but evenutally she let up. And she never confirmed nor denied his existence to me after that day.

[Edited 1/16/11 9:58am]

BklynBabe said:

He's real if you sit on his lap and grind a little...

Made me think of this!!!!

Does this include the Easter bunny, tooth fairy?

I was a very trusting, naive child. I was about 12.

luv4u said:

Does this include the Easter bunny, tooth fairy?

My parents didn't try to perpetrate the Easter Bunny thing as much, and I'm a light sleeper, so the tooth fairy didn't work.

Shyra said:

I was a very trusting, naive child. I was about 12.

My mom flat out told my younger brother and I that there was no Santa because she wanted us to know that she used her hard earned $ to buy our gifts, not some guy in a red suit w/ a beard.

chocolate1 said:

Shyra said:

I was a very trusting, naive child. I was about 12.

Chile, when I finally found out, I was friggin heartbroken!

Then I really knew when I heard a "brother" say, "Ain't no white man coming to the ghetto to bring yo ass shit!"

[Edited 1/16/11 10:13am]

Shyra said:

chocolate1 said:

Chile, when I finally found out, I was friggin heartbroken!

Then I really knew when I heard a "brother" say, "Ain't no white man coming to the ghetto to bring yo ass shit!"

[Edited 1/16/11 10:13am]

Not sure; maybe 5 or 6?

I honestly don't remember -- so it apparently wasn't a traumatizing event.

BklynBabe said:

He's real if you sit on his lap and grind a little...

It truly is a wonderful life. Merry Christmas to one and all!

When I was 6

I've had a friend that I've known since Jr. High school (we're 43)....and still, to this day she thinks that she's fooling her 13 year old daughter into believing Santa Claus is real! Her daughter is an only child, grew up in Durand Wisconsin, and has lived a pretty sheltered life. I told her not to underestimate her daughters intelligence...she probably has her friends at school laughing at her, if she believed Santa was real!

i always knew he wasn't real

but my kids found out at the age of 12...my 10 year old still believes... so that's cool!!!!

My mom told me when I was 5. I was devestated because at the time I still very much believed in him, and looking back I don't understand why the hell she chose the moment that she did to tell me. She seemed pissed off about something when she was telling me and it was right before she took me tO ballet and tap.

She told me pretty quickly and huffily and then warned me. Well threatened me not to tell any of the other kids. I remember thinking how unfair it was that they got to go to ballet all happy with no worries still believing in beloved santa, and I had to go to ballet and fake smile when my I felt like my mom had just butchered my puppy in front of me.

It was weird.

I just clicked when I was about 6 that it was just not possible and I had been had. Didn't let on for a while though. The same thought process made me realise there was no eater bunny, tooth fairy or god (who followed a bit later) I was late with god as so many seemingly responsiblel and intelligent adults seemed to be genuinly convinced.