First time you found out Santa wasn't real

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First time you found out Santa wasn’t real

He’s a great big cuddly man, with a bushy white beard, makes his own presents, and lives with elves and reindeer. Who wouldn’t want to meet him?! All kids are wide eyed with wonder at a certain age, over Santa Claus. It's funny how we never twigged the little discrepancies or that different kids had different stories, all given by their parents, on the finer questions about Santa – where was Mrs Claus, where does Santa live, how do reindeer fly, where do all the elves go in the summer?

The biggest challenge for a parent I think, is how to explain the numerous “Santa’s” in the shops, on the street, on the TV. Why does such a man let himself be cloned by his helpers and so what does he really look like? Of course, he’d be the Santa in the Coke adverts wouldn’t he!?

It’s a shame he’s not real though isn't it. Should I admit to finding it amusing when I see children, when they get to “that age”, battling with their inner self over the Santa mystery? You can see them so desperately questioning the reality, almost as quickly as trying to reaffirm their belief – they don’t want to miss out on presents but at the same time, they want to fit in with the other kids. It’s a domino affect really that spreads like wildfire through a school or group of friends. As soon as they do believe, the relief for the parents is palpable.

Personally, my brother gave the whole thing away. He's only a year older than me but nevertheless he took great delight in telling me Santa was really Mum and Dad. Of course my world came crashing down at this point - how could he tell such a big lie? I remember waiting up as long as I could that year to catch Santa in the midst of filling my stocking at the bottom of the bed. Of course I fell asleep but it didn't stop my brother going on and on and on until eventually he was told off by my parents. Of course at that point there was no going back and the damage was done.

A friend recalls below a memory of when she told her sister the truth behind the man with the beard....

Hide the TV

“I’m not into the whole fictional character thing because my Dad didn’t believe in it. So in our house a dog was a "dog" and not a "doggie"; a cat was a "cat", and not a "pussy cat" or kitten – that kind of thing. My Dad's point in grounding us in reality was sensible I suppose because really, in a few weeks time that dog would be a dog and not a doggie - it would’ve grown up.

So against that upbringing the whole Santa thing was a chore I guess for my parents. I can’t remember when exactly I found out but I was fairly young. I gave it away for my sister though.

We were talking about Santa and she was all excited about Christmas. It was mid December and all the Christmas decorations were up - both inside and out. She was so wound up in the whole concept and trying to work out when Santa would deliver the presents. She knew at this point that Santa was going to give us a new TV for our room that Christmas. Now that was a big deal back then – they weren’t as cheap as they are now and not given away with every fridge or freezer you buy.

So we were at our Gran's house this one afternoon and my sister is getting really excited - she must have had an overdose of chocolate from the advent calendar! By this point was really irritating me. So, I told her that Santa wasn’t real.

Of course she didn't believe me, couldn't believe me, and she kept arguing back at me. So I told her that if he was real, then why is the TV set that he’s giving us, in Gran’s wardrobe. Of course she still didn’t believe me and so in a fit of frustration, just to prove myself right more than anything else, I showed her the TV!.

She ran back home to Mum and Dad. She asked them if Santa was still giving us a TV and they said yes. “So why’s it in Gran’s wardrobe Mum?” she said. Well, inspite of the upbringing, I still got leathered for telling her the truth!

They didn’t try to cover the whole thing up for my sister though, they did tell her the real deal with Santa. I don’t regret it either. I beleive that kids should know the truth and not be brought up on a fantasy in a bid to bribe them into being "good kids"."