Did you believe in Santa Claus as a kid?

[Guitarded]

I don't mean the compassionate spirit that was so wonderfully described in another thread; I mean the actual man who broke into your house and exchanged cookies for presents.

I believed in Santa, and I kind of wish I didn't. I think that some kids subconsciously equate Santa with God, so I often attribute my struggle with my faith to the "big reveal."

That being said, I don't really find fault with parents who do raise their children to believe in Santa.

 

[Tora Ziyal]

At some very young age, yes.

 

[Jadzia]

My first christmas I wouldn't have even known it was happening.

My second christmas, I can't remember if I believed in Father Christmas or not, but I tend to think that was when the story was first told to me. I distinctly remember the decorations being put up that year. I remember feeling unsure seeing this big dirty tree being dragged through the house. My parent's tell me I wore a puzzled look the whole day, trying to weigh the thing up!

For my third, fourth, fifth and sixth christmases I did believe. But not beyond that.

 

[Colonel Green]

I believed when I was very young, not quite sure for how long. I do recall trying to convince some of my 4th grade classmates that Santa wasn't real and being roundly mocked for my trouble

 

[Roger Wilco]

Yeah, though not Santa, but the local equivalent; in fact I specifically remember one christmas where my parents made my brother and me hide in the kitchen so we don't interfere with the presents miraculously being brought in, and we totally bought that.
I don't remember when I stopped believing, I guess I never really thought about it much and was just happy about getting presents.

eta: actually my parents did exactly what's did described in that wikipedia article, I had no idea that was a "real" tradition and not something they just made up.

 

[Cheapjack]

I wonder what Santa did, when he was a kid?

I used too, cos I saw someone with a fat ass, come into my bedroom once, on Xmas Eve. It took my till i was nine before I realised it was my mother.

 

[JRS]

Yes, I did..and I still do

 

[ManOnTheWave]

Sure. That's part of the fun of Christmas.

 

[Shaytan]

No, because of some "weird" name choices in my family (something I've already told).

 

[RoJoHen]

I honestly have no idea if I ever believed in Santa.

 

[sidious618]

I was waiting for someone to post "What do you mean he's not real?" as if it's a good joke.

 

[Holdfast]

I honestly have no idea if I ever believed in Santa.

This.

Which leads me to believe the answer is probably "no", or at least only for a year when I was really young. My parents never really made a major secret of where the presents really come from, though they occasionally played along with the concept, and I can't remember a Christmas where I for sure believed in Santa.

 

[iguana_tonante]

I believed in Santa, and I kind of wish I didn't. I think that some kids subconsciously equate Santa with God, so I often attribute my struggle with my faith to the "big reveal."

Just follow what your heart is trying to tell you and embrace the other "big reveal". You know you want to.

Yeah, though not Santa, but the local equivalent;

Funnily enough, my family mixed the folk story of Christkind (in Italian Gesù Bambino, "Baby Jesus") with that of Santa Clause (here called Babbo Natale, "Dad Christmas"). We wrote letters to the Christkind asking for presents, and then Santa Claus would bring them to our home (I suppose Baby Jesus was too busy being extruded from Mary's vagina on that very day). No, I don't know how the Christkind and Santa Claus were supposed to work in same team!

 

[KimMH]

alas but no. the parental units were adamant that we shouldn't believe in fariy tales. although oddly enough, they did tell us we could be president someday . . .

 

[RJDiogenes]

What do you mean he's not real?




I don't actually remember believing in Santa, but I must have. I have a memory of a very early Christmas-- I'm guessing around 1966-- when on Christmas morning my Mother asked me if I would mind if my Father went in to the living room first so he could take my picture as I entered and saw all the presents. I said no, because I wanted to be the first to see them. They promised that he would keep his eyes closed and just point the camera at the archway, but I didn't buy it. I was adamant that I should be the first to see what Santa brought, so I evidently believed he was real. That's the only memory that I have, though, that I did ever believe Santa was real.

 

[shivkala]

Being Jewish, interestingly enough, at some point, I kind of believed. My mother tried to push the "Hanukkah Fairy" on us, which lead to a really awkward, confusing situation when, for some reason I have yet to figure out (giving us the experience others had, maybe), my parents had my sister and I sit on a mall Santa's lap. When I asked if Santa knew we celebrated Hanukkah and not Christmas, my mother explained that Santa would tell the Hanukkah Fairy what we told him.

Aside from that, it's hard to continue to believe in a magical guy who delivers presents to others' houses and not yours!

I did marry outside my religion though and we do celebrate Christmas with our kids. I honestly have no idea if my 10 year old still believes. I can't tell if she does or if she's keeping it under-wraps because of her three younger siblings. Or, the third possibility is she wants to keep the fantasy alive. As a colleague says, the rule in his family was always, "If you stop believing, you stop receiving," and thus, to his day, he still "believes."

 

[iguana_tonante]

I was waiting for someone to post "What do you mean he's not real?" as if it's a good joke.

What do you mean it's not a good joke?

 

[pookha]

he must be real..
after all isnt norad going to track him..

 

[RJDiogenes]

Only if he lets them.

 

[kirsten187]

I never believed in Santa. I don't know why though.