Do your kids still believe in Santa?

[npmommie]

mine do still young, but they do notice the differences in all the different "santas" we see out and about during the season.
I just say the "real" one is the one we see for a picture ( where ever that may be, we don't do the mall santas, its always somewhere else), and the others are his helpers since he can't be everywhere at once.
what do you tell your kids?

 

[bas71873]

DD7 still believes. We've just told her that all the Santa's in her yearly pics are his helpers and the "real" Santa is busy at the North Pole! I'm ready to head to Yankee Candle for our annual pic. Bought a cute frame today at Cracker Barrel

 

[ccgirl]

DD7 still believes. We've just told her that all the Santa's in her yearly pics are his helpers and the "real" Santa is busy at the North Pole! I'm ready to head to Yankee Candle for our annual pic. Bought a cute frame today at Cracker Barrel

My DD7 (soon to be 8) still believes but she is definitely starting to question it. Similare to the PP, we tell her all Santas she sees are helpers and the real one stays at the North Pole and is never seen.

The hard part is we tell her Santa only brings one gift to each child. Didn't want her to question why Santa brought more toys to different children. The rest are from the parents and they just let the child believe they are from Santa. She knows to keep this a secret so no feelings get hurt.

 

[Magpie]

I still believe in Santa, so my kids don't have a choice.

Actually, I've been telling them from the very start that Santa isn't a person, he's a Spirit - ie, the spirit of the season.

I've read them A Christmas Carol - the Spirit of Christmas Present doesn't give physical gifts, he makes the season brighter and more joyous and gives gifts of the heart. That's my kind of Santa!

I've read them "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus."

When my kids were little they took the "Santa is a spirit" part literally - my son had a theory that he walked through walls!

Now that they're teenagers, I think they understand better what I mean.

Oh... and we've never loaded up the tree with presents "from Santa". When they were born, I didn't know if we'd always be able to afford a big Christmas. So I told them Santa brings one small, magical gift (something strange and handmade), while their Dad and I got every thing else. "Santa doesn't shop at Toys R Us."

I used to make their "Santa" gifts myself. These days I find them at craft shows or little curio shops.

This allows us to have honest conversations with the kids about what we can get and what we can't. "Son, there just aren't an Wiis to be had anywhere in town this year. You'll have to ask for something else." I saw WAY too much consumer craziness in the Eighties to ever want to buy into the "Christmas will be ruined if my kids doesn't get..." whatever the hot toy of the season is. That's just nuts.

 

[npmommie]

Thats good about the ones in the pics being helpers too.
I have always just said santa is here for only a day or two, that is when we get the pic done.
before and after that time everyone else is a helper.

santa fills the stockings here and one or two of the presents under the tree are from santa too.

 

[Momvic5]

Nope, my kids don't believe in Santa. My oldest did for a while, but I couldn't keep up with all the stories so once he had a clue and asked questions that would require me being creative with my stories, I told him the truth. I never started the "secret" with my other two children. It works for us...and I am glad. We know so many families who believe different things about Santa - one family believes Santa only brings gifts that fit in stockings, another that says Santa only brings one gift, another who says Santa only brings toys, another who says Santa only brings 3 gifts, another who says Santa comes on Christmas Eve, and another family who is from Belguim and believes a whole different story - keeping everyone's secrets separate is a little hard on us all. At this point, my kids are 9, 11, and 14yrs old. They love Christmas time...it is our favorite time of year. We love Santa Claus and enjoy all of the benefits of Santa Claus (movies, stockings, songs, the idea), but we don't believe in him.

 

[Pakey]

No. But then my youngest is almost 30.....

 

[DeniseinNS]

My kids (5 1/2 son and almost 9 daughter) still believe. My daughter told us when she was 6 that she knew that the Santa at the mall was not real but it was ok because Santa is really busy getting ready for christmas so he needs helpers to dress up as him because he can't be at so many places at the same time lol.

 

[No.17CherryTreeLane]

Absolutely they do - and they range in age from 14 to 24!

Santa is the Spirit of Christmas, and he lives in our hearts all year long.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

DD13 does not. DS10, I think still did up until some point this year. In fact, I think the movie Gremlins (the one character tells the story of her father dying while playing Santa) actually ruined him.

Although he knew about the Tooth Fairy earlier than that, so maybe he was just fooling himself the last year or so.

 

[Heidict]

Yes, my DD still believes. She thinks that santa's at the mall are his helpers and that the real one is at the North Pole except for in the summer. We go see him at his summer house at Santa's Village in NH.

 

[kimblebee]

I don't think my daughter does. She is 10 this year and for as long as she can remember my dad has played Santa at her daycare Christmas party. She hasn't said anything so I won't say anything either. If she asks, I'll tell her, of course.

 

[Robinrs]

I wish mine still did, I loved the anticipation!

Alas, he'll be 18 in a couple of months so he emailed me his list with links and all....

 

[PollyannaMom]

DS had just turned 9 last year and was iffy. We talked about how it was OK to give someone something and give Santa the credit. I'm hoping that planted the seeds to help him grow beyond the younger description of Santa as one person, to the reality of Santa as any and all of us inspired by the spirit of Christmas.

I think it should be a gradual process instead of a big let down - sort of that Santa has always been real in the inspiration way, but that little kids can't understand something so abstract, so we give Santa a face for them, and at first they believe every Santa they see is the real one, then they believe some of the Santas are helpers, and then finally they believe that the helpers are part of "Santa", and they can be too.

 

[mookie]

WHAT????!!! THERE'S NO SANTA?!?!?!!!

 

[pad406]

DD, 2 years ago, she was 6 nearly 7, wrote santa a letter and put it up the chimney on Christmas eve without telling anyone. she checked first thing Christmas morning and letter was still there, so she figured there's no Santa. I'm a bit disappointed but very proud

 

[Mickeypooh99]

My boys keep talking about it. I'm about ready to tell them. The oldest told me he knows that I will have to tell him when he has his own kids because if Santa isn't real he will need to know for them.

I'm at he point where I want to tell them, but I don't want them to be sad about it either.

 

[TB'sWidow]

WHAT????!!! THERE'S NO SANTA?!?!?!!!

That's exactly what my Dd 10 said when her beloved Aunt was telling a story about her own kids growing up and she inadverntly told DD, but I think her Aunt was more devesatated than Dd that she had told her that way. Now we call that Aunt the Dream Crusher. LOl Mary

 

[ccgirl]

I wish mine still did, I loved the anticipation!

Alas, he'll be 18 in a couple of months so he emailed me his list with links and all....

Oh geesh!!! Is that what I have to look forward to? Although now I get the Toy Book with everything circled. I told her it would be easier to circle the things she didn't want.

 

[mookie]

That's exactly what my Dd 10 said when her beloved Aunt was telling a story about her own kids growing up and she inadverntly told DD, but I think her Aunt was more devesatated than Dd that she had told her that way. Now we call that Aunt the Dream Crusher. LOl Mary

I will never forget the way my mom told my little sister. I had already known...but one day she asked during dinner if there really was a Santa. My dad and I looked up to see what my mom's reaction would be, and as she cut her meat, she nonchalantly said "nope.....and while we're at it there's no tooth fairy or easter bunny either."