What age do kids generally stop believing in Santa?

[combustiblefuel]

I was there when my buddy told when he told his 7 year old Santa was just mommy and Daddy. Man was he crushed. It was instant tantrum mode.


He felt it was time tho. Far be it for me too judge others on when they feel it is the right time to. His son brought up Santa and said If Santa does not bring him a certain present that he would and hate him forever. He had to explain what actually happens and why he should expect crazy expensive things and finished off with " Now that I've explained the history of Santa you can use your own judgment. You don't have to believe me . you need to make your own mind up." He stopped crying and concluded that his dad was right. He then hugged my friend and said I love you Santa.



On Krampus . My buddy from Germany told me Krampus likes to toss you in his bag and shake you around ,beats you with sticks and chains. He also said that in some villages have up police patroles because some sick humans actually do go around and kidnap kids. These are guys that would of done it anyways but if they get caught try to use it as a weakass excuse.

[MillerTime GFG]

Just like to weigh in that my step daughter turns 9 on the 24th, and she still doesn't know. We've decided we're going to let her believe in it this year (if it doesn't get outted to her in the meantime) and then tell her after. I think she already has a feeling, but we're going to just go with the flow as there's nothing cooler than watching kids go through the emotions of Christmas, and Christmas eve night. I absolutely love it. I just hope she doesn't tell our 7 year old...

[Sr. Mints]

I figured it out at a pretty young age: Santa and my folks often used the exact same wrapping paper, and nothing got by 5-year-old Sherlock Dylan.

[Ruttiger]

Originally Posted by Sliver

Because it's fun. It's special to believe in magic. To believe there's a benevolent guy that goes around bringing joy to your home for the sake of bringing joy. To think that every little kid in the world is having the same special day you are.

There is a lifetime to face reality. Making childhood special for your kid is a responsibility and most of us are lucky enough on this forum to be able to provide that for our children.

I can't think of a better way to articulate this for you. It's just intrinsically nice and good. If you can't understand that on an intuitive level, let alone with my half-ass response and that of others, then there isn't much more we can say.

One other point, though. Once Santa goes, so too go elves, and flying reindeer, and sleighs. Forget Rudolph. No more letters to Santa. Sitting on his lap. Seeing and meeting him. He's the lynch pin for a lot of what makes Christmas special for little kids. I think being dismissive of how important he is for your kids and others' kids shows a disrespect for our traditions and for the effort so many of us put into adding to the happiness for kids around this time of year. And for nothing. There's no upside to prematurely telling the truth. Just be fun, man.

I don't agree with much of what you have to say on here, but as the father of a two year old girl, you hit the nail on the head and captured it beautifully. Bravo.

[Russic]

I'm curious how long my 5 year old will keep believing mainly because The Polar Express is his favourite Christmas movie and the theme of somebody ceasing to believe in Santa is pretty strong through the whole thing. I think a lot of kids believe simply because nobody has even brought up the notion that he might not be real yet, so to hear people openly question it is bound to raise some flags.

Oh and some of you need to have some more fun. Jesus. You get about 6 years to do nothing but play and then school starts and you're basically trying to find happiness for the next 60. Let them have a little magic.

[CarlLester]

I got home at lunch time today and my daughter told me that someone in her kindergarten class said Santa wasn't real. I did some quick damage control but she's the kind of kid that's going to have twenty questions when I get home.

[Aeneas]

Email I received on this topic, a letter to write to your kids:

" I know you’ve wanted the answer to this question for a long time, and I’ve had to give it careful thought to know just what to say.

The answer is no. I am not Santa. There is no one Santa.

I am the person who fills your stockings with presents, though. I also choose and wrap the presents under the tree, the same way my mom did for me, and the same way her mom did for her. (And yes, Daddy helps, too.)

I imagine you will someday do this for your children, and I know you will love seeing them run down the stairs on Christmas morning. You will love seeing them sit under the tree, their small faces lit with Christmas lights.
This won’t make you Santa, though.

Santa is bigger than any person, and his work has gone on longer than any of us have lived. What he does is simple, but it is powerful. He teaches children how to have belief in something they can’t see or touch.
It’s a big job, and it’s an important one. Throughout your life, you will need this capacity to believe: in yourself, in your friends, in your talents and in your family. You’ll also need to believe in things you can’t measure or even hold in your hand. Here, I am talking about love, that great power that will light your life from the inside out, even during its darkest, coldest moments.
Santa is a teacher, and I have been his student, and now you know the secret of how he gets down all those chimneys on Christmas Eve: he has help from all the people whose hearts he’s filled with joy.

With full hearts, people like Daddy and me take our turns helping Santa do a job that would otherwise be impossible.

So, no. I am not Santa. Santa is love and magic and hope and happiness. I’m on his team, and now you are, too."

[Cleveland Steam Whistle]

Originally Posted by Aeneas

Email I received on this topic, a letter to write to your kids:

" I know you’ve wanted the answer to this question for a long time, and I’ve had to give it careful thought to know just what to say.

The answer is no. I am not Santa. There is no one Santa.

I am the person who fills your stockings with presents, though. I also choose and wrap the presents under the tree, the same way my mom did for me, and the same way her mom did for her. (And yes, Daddy helps, too.)

I imagine you will someday do this for your children, and I know you will love seeing them run down the stairs on Christmas morning. You will love seeing them sit under the tree, their small faces lit with Christmas lights.
This won’t make you Santa, though.

Santa is bigger than any person, and his work has gone on longer than any of us have lived. What he does is simple, but it is powerful. He teaches children how to have belief in something they can’t see or touch.
It’s a big job, and it’s an important one. Throughout your life, you will need this capacity to believe: in yourself, in your friends, in your talents and in your family. You’ll also need to believe in things you can’t measure or even hold in your hand. Here, I am talking about love, that great power that will light your life from the inside out, even during its darkest, coldest moments.
Santa is a teacher, and I have been his student, and now you know the secret of how he gets down all those chimneys on Christmas Eve: he has help from all the people whose hearts he’s filled with joy.

With full hearts, people like Daddy and me take our turns helping Santa do a job that would otherwise be impossible.

So, no. I am not Santa. Santa is love and magic and hope and happiness. I’m on his team, and now you are, too."

While I love the sentiment of that letter, seems like the intended audience wasn't really though about in terms of content and tone. Seems like a little too much of an abstract concept for a 6 to 8 year old to wrap their head around.............but then again I'm in no place to comment.

[Slava]

Originally Posted by Sr. Mints

I figured it out at a pretty young age: Santa and my folks often used the exact same wrapping paper, and nothing got by 5-year-old Sherlock Dylan.

I've gone to great pains to make sure that Santa uses different wrapping paper. This year Santa is buying a gift for the kids that I hate and have mentioned that I think they shouldn't ask for it because I'm not buying it! There is virtually no way that they'll catch on this year.

As for the kids in school, I'm sure that things have been said. My eldest is 9 and she's mentioned it a few times. You know what the best part is to me though? The kids want to believe in Santa.

[jeffporfirio]

I have an 8 year old girl, and she firmly believes in Santa Claus. She writes her letters early (postal code H0H 0H0), talks to the elf on the shelf, and gets up ridiculously early on Christmas day. I think its fantastic, kids grow up to fast these days, into an overly messed up world.

Quite surprised no one has mentioned "Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus"

http://www.nysun.com/editorials/yes-virginia/68502/

" Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus! It would be as dreary as if there were no Virginias. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence."

[gargamel]

Originally Posted by Hockeyguy15

Why would it suck? The only reason kids even care about Santa is because they get gifts from him, once the kids realize they still get the gifts they still love Christmas.

Pretty much. My parents used to give me some gifts from themselves along with Santa's presents. I knew for several years that Santa wasn't real before I admitted it, because I thought I'd only get half as many presents if they knew that I knew.

[Daradon]

I'm surprised parents are able to keep it as long as the used to be with all the media and internet and such. I don't know how much a 6 year old is on the internet. Probably varies wildly from house to house.

For me I had it figured out when I was 6, but my younger sister and I had already decided to play along to get more presents.

[savemedrzaius]

What is this "Elf on the Shelf"? I have never heard of it until now.

[Derek Sutton]

Originally Posted by jeffporfirio

I have an 8 year old girl, and she firmly believes in Santa Claus. She writes her letters early (postal code H0H 0H0), talks to the elf on the shelf, and gets up ridiculously early on Christmas day. I think its fantastic, kids grow up to fast these days, into an overly messed up world.

Quite surprised no one has mentioned "Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus"

http://www.nysun.com/editorials/yes-virginia/68502/

" Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus! It would be as dreary as if there were no Virginias. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence."

I'm 35 and still don't sleep past 5:00 the big day😄. Santa use to booby trap the house as well when i was a kid, egg cartons and plastic bags in the hallway was his go to. My brother and I always, made sure we had our flashlights out and ready to go.

[Schraderbrau]

Originally Posted by savemedrzaius

What is this "Elf on the Shelf"? I have never heard of it until now.

It's the greatest way to trick your kids into being good for at least one month of the year.

[HelloHockeyFans]

Being born in Canada, but raised by immigrant parents, they learned about Santa, so bought me gifts from him, but didn't learn about the tooth fairy.

Many mornings, I'd wake up to check under my pillow to find nothing but the tooth I left there.

/ endsadimmigrantparentsstory

[longsuffering]

Originally Posted by Sliver

Just because some other kid's parents aren't good at keeping an age-old Christmas secret?

As usual Sliver making himself the final authority on what it 'right' and wrong and how other people should live their lives.

[longsuffering]

Quoted for truth.

If a kid hasn't questioned how Santa can fly around the world to deliver presents to all the good little boys and girls in a single night by the time he's 7 or 8, I have to wonder about what's going on in their head.

Then of course this whole Santa comes down the chimney business. How does he fit? Why doesn't he burn up. What about kids that live in apartments that don't have chimney. By the time a kids in grade 3 he should be wondering about these things.

My guess is that the parents who want to "magical" for the children" are doing as for themselves as they are kids.

Originally Posted by edn88

My oldest started asking questions when he was 5 - he's a pretty analytical and observant kid, and the math didn't add up and enough movies had put doubt in his mind. When he asked then, we told him if he believe in Santa then there was one.

Some where between then and last Christmas (when he was 7) he had discounted Santa and was making up his own story - he thought that the presents that came to our house were delivered by the neighbors etc.

I am glad he knows the truth, I always hated the lie (same as Easter bunny, tooth fairie etc). When he was losing his first tooth, I blurted out that there was no tooth fairie, and my wife was ready to kill me.

[Minnie]

Originally Posted by dino7c

some of you sound like you would love to take a kid to disneyland just to rip the head off of goofy.

If I go to Disney to rip the head off of any character, it's going to be that damned Elsa.

[Lucifer]

Originally Posted by longsuffering

Then of course this whole Santa comes down the chimney business. How does he fit? Why doesn't he burn up. What about kids that live in apartments that don't have chimney.

As a kid, I wondered this myself. I just assumed Santa had a magical key to get in our house.

Also, I was more upset at the fact I was putting out milk and cookies for my parents, thinking I was putting them out for Santa because he would be hungry after working so hard. My parents could have got their own damn cookies and milk!

I was a strange kid.