How did you feel when you found out there was no Santa?

Question

Please tell me as best you can remember.

Also state your current belief (regarding R+S).


Thanks

Answer 1

I felt bad for my mother because it became obvious to me that she enjoyed christmas way more than I had previously known. For another two christmases I pretended I still believed for her sake.

Atheist

Answer 2

I felt betrayed by my parents! In fact, discovering the truth about Santa made my wonder what other lies my parents had told me and were still telling me.

I understand now that they weren't trying to hurt me...they thought that believing in Santa was harmless fun and that it was a normal part of childhood to believe in mythical beings and fairy tales.

As for my current beliefs, I am a Christian...I believe Jesus Christ was the son of God and that he died for my sins and rose from the dead three days later to ascend in to heaven to prepare a place for me and others who choose to accept his sacrifice.

...as for Santa, I did NOT encourage my son to believe that myth. I told him the truth the first time he asked me...he still gets to go see Santa and he even gets "Santa" gifts at Christmas...but he knows that the Santa in the mall is a symbol of giving and that the gifts he gets from Santa were bought by someone in the family (anonymously)...given in the true spirit of giving (giving without expecting thanks or reward)!

...and my son got to put his first (and second) baby tooth under his pillow and awake to find a special gift (he likes unusual coins/money so I collect foreign and old money to keep for him). ...but he knows that the "tooth fairy" is really the "mommy fairy".

...and before anyone responds with the same concerns expressed by some of my friends whose children attend school with my son, my son also knows that it is NOT his place to dispel these myths in other children. I've taught him that parents have the right to teach their children whatever they want to teach them and that it would be wrong for him to speak out against another child's parents...and as far as I know, he has never done so (trust me, someone would have mentioned it)! Then again, I also don't make a big deal about it when my son uses cuss words at home and he has a pretty impressive vocabulary for a six year old...but he also knows that he shouldn't use those words at school and again, I have NEVER received a report that he accidentally slipped and said something inappropriate at school (though at least half of his classmates have been sent home with reports like this...in fact, the teachers and other workers are usually shocked when I ask if he is using inappropriate language...and I do ask because if he ever decides to break this rule, he'll learn what Ivory tastes like!).

Answer 3

I was actually happy!

I didn't just find out, I went on a quest.

I figured out that my mom had kept the presents hidden in her closet. I saw them one day and I was like "what the hell is this doing here?" Obviously, being so small. I started playing with them and my mom caught me.

On Christmas, I saw them under the tree.

I made it my quest to find out x.x

The next Christmas I stayed up all night and saw mom put them there. That pretty much killed Santa.

Although, there's still that naughty list my mom keeps, so Santa's tradition is not long gone :p

Answer 4

My family lived in SE Asia, so Santa was just a bit of cultural trivia. When we came to America a decade later, my American grandparents wanted to instill the idea of Santa. My siblings and I politely remained abed as my grandfather stomped on the roof and bellowed, "Ho, ho, ho!" We thanked them for our gifts the next day, and smiled politely when told that the thanks belonged to Santa. We had explained to our father that we felt awkward pretending to believe in a fantasy, but he said that it made our grandfather happy, so we went along with the whole nine yards, including the cookies on the plate.

I can tell you we found the legend to be creepy. A mysterious, powerful entity secretly observes us for a year, has the power to bend time & space for undetected visits in arbitrary households at night when families are asleep and vulnerable? No wonder we feared mall Santas - where they agents of this mass conspiracy of lies?

Answer 5

RELIEVED

I knew when I was a kid, I mean I had the intelligence to conclude that some fat white man in a fat red & white suit does not show up precisely at 12:AM Midnight at every person's home in every part of the world bearing gifts and slobbing over fattening choco chip cookies and warm milk.

Guess what group made that up?

Answer 6

My parents never told me Santa was real. I never knew for sure, but I was confused, because I *did* know about St. Nicolaus, the 4th century Bishop who punched out Arius in front of the First Council of Nicaea. Almost got his holy butt excommunicated for it, too! I wonder how Christmas might have been different...

Anyway...when it turned out the St. Nicolaus was not in fact still alive, I just had a good laugh at all those stupid song writers who didn't know.

Answer 7

I sort of came to that conclusion on my own when I was eight. I just started to ponder how impossible it would be for him to deliver gifts. I brought this up to my mother and she fessed up that she was the one putting the Christmas gifts under the tree and I was okay with it because in my heart I knew it was the truth. I also never felt lied to as some people feel.

This never shook my faith in God however, I believe then as I do now that God exists.

Answer 8

I was disappointed, but then I realized that I can actually get all the gifts myself and I do not have to wait for Santa to bring them.

I still enjoy Santa especially when I have many children around me.

Answer 9

Catholic... I kind of felt relieved because I don't really like the idea of people entering my house in the middle of the night. But my sister refuses to believe that he's not real (she's 9). And my 13 year old sis was devestated

Answer 10

I felt (at age 5) that I outsmarted MOM! She tried fooling me and I figured it out!
Wasn't disappointed, just amazed that I fell for it. I really did enjoy the Santa thing with my younger siblings. BUT...one Christmas soon after, a small pen knife I had wanted all year was tied to our door knob addressed to me (2nd grade then)...made me stop and wonder.