When did your child stop believing in santa?

My son is 10 and he knew when he was 8 but he knows not to say anything to his brother or sister my 8 year old still believes so far and my daughter is 4

Just let him believe, it’s not hurting anyone. Don’t rush him to grow up.

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I blew it w the tooth fairy when she was 9 or 10 and it was inevitable from there. My other daughter was like 14 lol my son was about 10 or 11 too.

My 9 yo says she still believes but she kept asking questions last year like she was catching on. I think she is starting to realize but I little scared that if she admits it Christmas will be over.

He might just think if you don’t believe you don’t receive!

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When i started questioning it my mom would say “you dont believe you dont receive” Im 28 and still believe in Santa :joy::joy::joy::joy:

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Kids aren’t as mean about Santa anymore, at least in my experience. My mom told me when I was about 6 but that was because she couldn’t afford nice presents and had to explain it wasnt our faults or Santas.

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My daughter knew but would play that she didn’t because she didn’t want christmas to stop; she would still say she fully believed in Santa. She believes now (she’s 13) in the full reason of Christmas and loves to play as Santa for her cousins or she’ll sneak in Santa gifts for me, step-dad and grandparents. We still put in Santa gifts when its something that we all chipped in for.

My daughter is 11 and still believes. Though I think she does that more for me.

Santa only goes to the houses where the parents still believe!

That’s what my parents told my younger brother and it kept him believing until his early teens.

I’ll be doing the same when my son reached that stage where he questions.

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Would definitely let it be! He will figure it out in his own time. And even if someone makes fun of him, let him believe in what makes him happy. I have never admitted that I don’t believe in Santa, and I am almost 30. In our house growing up… If you didn’t believe, you didn’t receive. :joy:

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Last year my now almost 11 year old son was asking A LOT of questions about Santa. He was doing it in front of his younger sisters (who are now 9 and 6) and my husband and I finally told him. We told him there was a special magic about Christmas and the story of St. Nicholas and it trickled down through generations to become what we all now know as Santa Claus. We told him Mommies and Daddies keep the magic and spirit of Christmas alive, but there is no Santa who comes to the house and leaves toys. It’s mommy and daddy that do that. He was a little disappointed at first, but he finally had clarity to all his questions. We asked him to continue being part of the magic of Christmas and not ruin it for his younger sisters. So now he helps me wrap their presents and gets to stay up a little later on Christmas Eve to help put the presents under the tree. It makes him feel special that he is part of the magic.

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My daughter is 9 and still believes. We had kids at school last year telling her he wasn’t real. I would just ask her what do you believe. And then when he answer is finally she doesn’t believe then I’ll tell her. But as long as she is still questioning it then I will let her believe. her answers are always sortof like well who else can bring in that many presents. the best was you don’t have that much money to buy all those gifts so Santa has to be real :joy::joy: She will have to pretend for her brothers so I will tell her when the time comes that she can help be Santa.

Personally I theres too much bad crap in this world, give them something to believe in​:heart: when he asks then tell him. :black_heart:

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Wait Santa isn’t real?!?!

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Mine was about 10 when he figured it out. No one teased him (except my MIL, but that’s a different story) I’m actually not even sure it ever came up specifically with his friends!

My grown still believes in the spirit to me , as they got older taught them the spirit of helping someone with less and to remember to be thankful .

If starting not to believe , take somewhere they help people and afterwards ask him where the stuff came from

I talked to my kids about St. Nicholas (when they questioned) and told them that I will continue giving gifts in his name to honor Jesus as he did. I don’t put “From” on Christmas gifts to my children.

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my 9 yr old is suspicious of it from last yr and because of friends. but her 8 yr old sister still believe. but i told her she can believe what she wants to believe but dont say nothing to other kids or your sister.but im always telling my 9yr old there is a santa.

My oldest was like 10 and he straight up said I know your santa, you get me things I never mentioned to Santa that I wanted. :rofl::joy:

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Explain that Christmas is a magical time and some people believe in that magic including Santa clause and some people stop believing in Christmas magic but, they have a responsibility to still make it magical for the ones that still believe in the Christmas magic including Santa clause. I don’t know how you would work it for a 10 year old but, word it to their understanding.

My son told his pre-k class santa wasn’t real. :expressionless:

We all go through this. As children age we must let them help with the magic for the others

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Years ago I told my son that if he doesn’t believe in Santa, then he’ll no longer get presents. He’s 16 now and still “believes”.:grin:

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Let him believe. I did till adulthood and even now I believe on the spirt of Santa

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Have 10 grandchildren from 25 down to 9 all but a couple no longer believe but keep it alive for others that do. They all know Santa can’t buy everything so mummy helps and if they see anything pre Xmas Santa’s elves collect it regularly

My son who is now almost 16 told me when he was 13 he knew Santa wasn’t real. Granted he told me when I asked if he had his list ready for Santa. He said “mom I have known since I was 8 that he’s not real”. I asked him why he was just now telling me this and his response was beautiful. He said “Because I know how much you love Christmas, and how much you love the idea of Santa and I didn’t want to break your heart, but I have known for a long time but I still chose to let you believe that I believed”. In that moment I knew I did an OK job as a mom for him. Not gonna lie I may have teared up a little when he told me that. I say let them believe as long as they want too. I mean hell I am 38 and still “believe”. It’s the magic of it all tbh.

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My 12 yr old son wanted to believe but said he decided not to when he was 11. I think it was pressure from other kids & feeling “babyish” about it. Last year Santa gave him a special gift and wrote a card thanking him for believing but now it’s time to help his younger cousins with the Christmas magic. He asked me about Santa tonight, in fact. I still think he wants to believe.

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I don’t remember when I stopped believing. Even as an adult and knowing I still find myself want to believe. I’m letting it run its course naturally with my kids, they can decide to stop believing or they can keep the magic and spirit of giving alive for the rest of their lives if they choose.

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Heck I’m 60 and still believe. Lol. Let him enjoy being young as long as you can.

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We tell our kids the history of how Santa came to be, and how today everyone has a version of that Santa they like, and traditions they do. The mall Santa isn’t the Santa that started it all but he’s today’s Santa. Santa is love, magic, giving and Hope.

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Mu daughter is about to be 11 and she still believes. Personally, I will allow her to believe for as long as I can. I want her to keep her innocence. When she asks about it, I’ll tell her but until then, I’m going to keep pretending along with her.

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When my kids started asking…I would say, “do YOU believe Santa’s is real?” If they said yes, then I would say, “then, he’s real” but when they said no…I’d tell them the truth! But also with the story of what Santa and xmas is truly about. They’ll be ready when they’re ready :heart:

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well my 12yr old says she still believes even tho she knows the truth about the tooth fairy and she plays tooth fairy for her siblings.

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Whenever my boys said they knew the truth that Santa didn’t exist, I would tell them that when they stopped believing then Santa wouldn’t bring them gifts anymore. My 28 yr old says he still believes :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

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I told my kids when they stop believing he stops coming. But assured them they would still get a stocking but I would have to pick up the slack. I also.put a cap on how old kids are when he stops. Simply because he has a full plate. And there are other kids coming along.

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My daughter is 9 and still believes… let them find out on their own. I figured it out when I walked downstairs and saw my parents playing Santa. Really no need to tell them.

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My son turned 12 today and he still believes. When someone told him he wasn’t real - he just told them about saint nick. We put truth and magic into it. 1 gift from santa, the rest from us and family members. Makes it a bit easier.

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My daughter is 8 and she put 2 and 2 together. Asked me if Santa is real but I didn’t have the guts to say no😩anyway, she continued asking and eventually I told her the truth. But she likes the concept of Santa

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My oldest is 11 and he still believes. He came home one day and said someone at school said he wasn’t real. I asked him, what do you want to believe? He said, that he’s real. So he’s real and so is our elf that comes. And ill keep making it magically until hes ready to become a Santa along with us for his younger siblings.

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My family always did 10. But I remember being so hurt because I felt like it changed christmas and my little brother had a similar reaction so I think I’ll just tell my son when he tells me he doesn’t believe anymore

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Per what my son stated to me, He is real. He is the one that gives us hope, love, and care for the day. Life my have the other days but we have to have hope, love, and care for each other at least one full day a year. It’s not about the presents, decorations, or the day. It’s about what we believe in our hearts.

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My kids are 8 and 5 years old and never believed in Santa coz I never did. My daughter asked me if Santa was real and I said no coz I couldn’t lie lol. She then told the younger one when he came into this world and was old enough to learn about Santa. Some of her friends have older siblings and knows santa is not real as well. No biggie. She ask me to pretend to be santa and give her gifts lol. They still get their gifts from santa and money from tooth fairy lol

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My oldest will be 11 in January and he still believes. He knows about the tooth fairy but hasn’t second guessed Santa. He loves our elves on the shelf. I won’t tell him unless he presses the issue. He asked me a couple years ago and I said “what do you truly believe honey?” He said he thinks he’s real, so we left it at that. I’ll let him believe as long as he wants.

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My daughter was 8 when she asked. Let him believe as long as possible. It’s a piece of childhood he’ll never get back.

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My kids are still young, so of course they believe, but I believed in Santa until I was 15. I mean, I knew he wasn’t real, but I didn’t really. I really stopped believing when we found a box in the garage from a desk that “Santa” brought her for Christmas. :joy:

I also have 3 younger brothers, so believing for me was easy because they believed. LoL!

My boy’s still believe at 21 & 19 … they were taught that in order to receive they must believe … they stopped believing in the person around 11 ish but the idea and spirit of Santa is alive … we all hold the spirit of Santa ( the spirit of giving ) … the best thing we could have taught our boys is to have a giving spirit aka be Santa … they play along with all the little kids in the family when Santa makes a surprise visit every year but they also teach them the importance of believing in Santa :smiling_face_with_three_hearts:

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My 9 year old found out from friends at school so i said now that she knows its her turn to be santa too as in help keep the magic going for her younger sister and brother i told her she still will not miss out on “santa” but knows its me that does it but i have told my kids from a young age that xmas is not just about santa its about family love and helping those in need

I ruined it for both of my kids at seven and nine. They also go to a private school, so they were asking more questions, and I was tired of lying to them.

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My three boys stopped believing in Santa as in the fat man in the red suit between 10 and 12, depending on the kid. The oldest pretended for several years for his younger brothers because he knew the importance of them coming to the conclusion on their own. I would tease them as they started questioning if Santa was real that if they didn’t believe they would only get underwear from then on from Santa. They are now 27 and 18 (twins) and believe in the spirit of Santa. And it is important for children to be able to believe in something they cannot see, that leads to Faith.

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I’m 56 years old, and I still look to the skies on Christmas Eve. When my kids questioned me about the existence of Santa, we talked about how Santa is represented by a jolly old man in a red suit. But Santa is truly the magic of wonder, the excitement in surprising someone, the joy of giving, that generous compassionate feeling we get around the holidays when the people of the world are a little bit kinder to each other.

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I found out when I was six. The pastors son showed me the Santa suit in his trunk. I kept pretending I didn’t know because I was so disappointed

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My son was 11 when he stopped believing but he pretends to around his little brother who is autistic

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Told my 9 year old Santa might not be coming because of covid and can’t afford to get sick lol

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My,daughter is 11 and sge still believes! Some of ger friends dont but she still does anyways!! Keep them innocent as long as possible!:blush:

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My daughter is 14 and even tho she knows I still act like Santa is real. She was prob 11 or so when she figured it out, and no, she wasn’t mad.

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My daughter was 10 when I told her the truth. And here is the truth about all those secret friends. Its the spirit of the person. Ex: Santa. It’s about the spirit of what Santa represents, like on the movie the Guardians! He represents bringing joy and happiness and wonder to others. Its about the spirit of giving. And this year it will be her turn to help me be Santa! Santa is 100% real,so is the Easter bunny and the tooth fairy and all of those types of people. It’s about spreading love and happiness and keeping it going in the world :earth_americas: :heart:
Santa is real because we are Santa.

She was not mad at all, totally understood and loved that she was going to be able to be giving to others and spreading joy and peace.

That’s how I handled it. That way they didn’t feel as if it was lying to them, because I am a real person which makes them very real as well.

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I never told mine unless they asked, around 9 or 10. Let them have their childhood as long as they can

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Let him be a kid and believe. I understand you are afraid of him getting made fun of, but they grow up too fast. Hold on to this as long as possible. Maybe figure out a creative way to talk about why some believe and some don’t

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I asked mine if he believed in santa when he questioned me and he said yes. I said as long as you believe in santa he is real. And when he stops believing them he isn’t real anymore. Left it at that

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When they seriously come to you with questions about it, its time…and that’s different for each kid. My son on the spectrum believed until he was 10 or 11 and when he finally really questioned it I told him but made it seem like he was in on a top secret answer and that he was part of the magic of Christmas for the little kids. He seemed to really enjoy that

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My kids never believed. I couldn’t get behind that lie because of different income one kid gets expensive gifts and toys one kid got socks. I never wanted to explain this to my children. So we always told the truth

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Mine all figured it out on their own between 8 and 11. It wasnt a big shock or life changing for any of mine… but we talked about santa being a physical representation of giving and loving others. They just one day said they knew santa wasn’t a real person, in their own time. I was fortunate. Some kids find out when they arent ready and it can be pretty rough.

My son is 9 and still believes. My older son stopped believing sometime in 5th grade, but not sure the age. 10 or 11? I will let my son believe as long as he wants, but I won’t deny it if he questions it.

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I was 13 when I knew. I was never made fun of. But I was so disappointed and let down I didn’t want that for my kids so…We have 5 children. They really “knew” about 12 or 13. Then they still believe but in a different way. We kept the magic as long as we could. Once we could tell they knew we let them help us(Santa) create a little of the Christmas Eve magic for the younger ones. Now our youngest is 12 and she’ll have to be Santa’s helper for her niece! 10 is not too old! That’s still such a young child! My kids had friends that didn’t believe but never had problems because of it. if kids get really get made fun of that’s bullying. Would we tolerate someone making fun because they believed in Jesus? To each his own I say keep the magic of childhood innocence as long as you can!:sparkles:

We had that with our oldest. None of her friends believed but she still did. We just told her that not everyone believes in the same things (she understood this as it related to her friends not going to church like she did) and that it was just a topic to choose not to talk about. The year both my daughters stopped believing sadly the Christmas magic just wasn’t the same. You can try to make all the luster you want but it will never be the same

Your fears are legit. My now, almost 11 year old believed so much he got into a fight with some older kids because they were making fun of him for believing. He was 7 at the time. When Christmas rolled around when he was 8, we told him. I didnt want another year of him being picked on for it. We explained to story of the real st. Nicholas. Truthfully, he still brings up how we lied to him for 8 years and let him believe so hard he was picked on. He gets it a little more now that he has a little sister. I have no advice really. Just saying youre right to feel how you do. (I still wont tell my daughter till shes at least 8)

My son will be 12 in December and he told me a few weeks ago that he knew I was Santa but said he wouldn’t say anything to his siblings. We decied this year we are drawing names out of a bowl and who ever you get is who you shop for.

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I’ve always told my children that there is no Santa. My middle child refuses to believe me no matter how many times I tell him that I am the one who puts the presents under the tree. :woman_shrugging:t2: So I just leave him be and let him do him :slightly_smiling_face:

My son was about 4-5th grade and there were kids saying they did not believe and when he asked me if Santa was real I put the question back to him and asked him well you tell me do you think he is real? He said yes and stated why so I just encouraged him and saying something like well then there is your answer. He figured it out by the next year and was fine😊

I was a teenager. My parents did so well with the whole charade, and not a single person ever broke the truth to me. I feel so lucky. So let them believe as long as they can. Its enstilled a deep love for the holidays and giving inside me, that I go all out with spirit for my kids and family. Making homemade cards and cookies and decorations and presents. I only found out the truth because my mother, who assumed i knew bc I was like 14 or 15, just wrapped my presents with tags “to sarah from Santa” them. And put them under the tree like 2 weeks before christmas. When she realized I didnt know, she tried to cover with “oh, santa comes early once your older. Thats his trick to delivering to everyone by Christmas,
morning. He trusts you won’t open them.” It was a great try, but I found out the truth that day.

My daughter is 7 and still believes, although one of her half-sisters is on a binge on telling her that Santa doesn’t exist but Anabelle does :roll_eyes:. Am hoping to keep my daughter’s childhood intact and innocent.

I have 2 aged 9 and 11 that both know Santa is not real. After they found out, they now help us buy gifts and get ideas for the younger two. They also think it’s fun picking out some of their own gifts.

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Oh man in a world with so much evil… let the poor kid believe for as long as possible. When it comes time to tell him the truth tell him in a way that Christmas magic still exists and why that magic is so important.

Mine still believes and he’s 9. I play along🤷‍♀️ I still believe in Xmas magic and so we continue to feel it even though santa may not be ‘real’.

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You mean there is NO Santa??
Well I beg to differ…
Quite a few years ago my daughter, her 2 sons ( one was 14 one was just 18 months) her daughter who was 12, and myself…(Meme) went to Bryson City, Tennessee.
We rode on the Polar Express. Went to the North Pole…(lol) when we stopped Santa boarded our train car. He stopped at our seats first. He actually leaned over me to talk to my oldest grandson…14 years old. He told him that Barnard had told him that he didn’t believe anymore. I was shocked. No one had seen this Santa…he also told my grandson as he handed him a sleigh bell…he said…there will be a special something in your stocking this year. He put his finger against his nose and winked. My grandson thought I had set him up…I did not! Fast forward to Christmas my grandson had forgotten all about the adventure. He got his stocking and poured the contents on the floor in front of himself. There among the gum, candy, lip balm, movie tickets and other things laid what looked like a small piece of coal. He picked it up…looked at it funny and turned it over…on the other side was written in white letters…“BELIEVE”. WE ALL GOT CHILLS! Mom knew nothing about it. He is 23, he still has the stone.

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Let him believe as long as he does. It’s all in fun. I have 3 kids. 20, 17, and 11. My 17 year old has special needs and he still believes. My youngest stopped about a year ago.

It was the summer between 6th and 7th grade when she figured it out on her own. I let her believe as long as she wanted to. Kids grow up way too fast! She also said finding out the truth about Santa, Tooth Fairy, Easter bunny etc did not make her question our honesty or make her think we’re lying to her. She understood it was fun for kids.

My kid has been saying Santa doesn’t exist since he was 4 but my mom told him Santa doesn’t come unless you believe. So in front of her he swears up and down Santa is real. I definitely don’t want to lie to him or him to get made fun of for still believing in fairy tales. He’s 8 now and we haven’t discussed it this year but yeah its time for some reality. Sorry, not sorry, but trying to keep kids babies forever doesn’t do them any favors.

My oldest is 12 and I’m pretty sure she still believes. But she also has 3 younger siblings (9, 2.5 and 6 months) so even if she doesn’t believe, I know she’ll play along for them. I was about 14 when I figured out Santa wasn’t a real person who came to my house. But I honestly still very much believe in the spirit of Santa and always will!

My son knew around 9, 10 because of kids at school and movies and stuff. He asked and we were honest with him. My daughter who is 10 started doubting last year because of kids at school and movies and stuff she asked and we were honest with her but with her she seems to have blocked it out. Like she doesn’t remember us telling her and still truly believes so we are letting her. :woman_shrugging: With both of them we told them that although Santa is not an actual being, that Santa is alive in ALOT of people. Like organizations that collect toys and necessities to give to people who can’t afford the stuff themselves, people who donate to those organizations, people who help others, weather their strangers, friends, family, get Christmas for their families. People like that… If that makes any sense… I can’t remember exactly how we worded it. Our youngest still believes and hasn’t been told otherwise. She’s 8.

My now 10 year old last year right after Christmas asked if he was real. I said "Well, if you dont believe you won’t get any presents from him " he said “cut the crap, mom, I know he’s not”… lol. So I told him the truth. That Santa is a feeling not a person. He started crying saying he had been lied to all his life! Then I pointed out I was the one that got him all the presents and that it’s about giving and being with family… not about a fat man in a red suit. He thanked me for all the things I’ve done. Now he has a 3 year old step sister he gets to play Santa for… he’s super stoked.

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My 12 year old daughter doesn’t believe santa brings gifts but that’s he is one responsible for the magic of Christmas. To me that’s not a belief I will ever question.

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My son figured it out really young. He asked me if Santa makes his toys how come they said made in China. :woman_facepalming: my daughter is 8 and she still believes. But I think with her it’s more of the traditions. Baking cookies, setting them out, getting up early and them being gone.

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My 11 year old is pretty sure he’s not real but she seems to be operating on a don’t ask don’t tell and doesn’t dig to deep into any cracks in the lore

My oldest figured it out at 10. We had a talk and he said he’d pretend believe for his younger brothers. So, santa still brings him things too. The almost 9yo still believes.
When the time comes we talk about what being a Santa means.

My 12 year old found out from friends last year that Santa is your parents but she really doesn’t want to believe it so we will play along as long as she wants to.

I’m 31 and my parents still tell me if I don’t believe I don’t get presents hahaha. Nothing wrong with letting them be little as long as possible. I think most kids find out around his age but when he does he does and its not your fault for wanting him to believe in a little magic in todays messy world. I think your son will understand why you didn’t tell him. Most kids find out from friends or movies I think…

My son is 9 years 9 old, and we have a 14 year old daughter too. We also have a 3 year old and 8 month old that obviously still/will believe. …i told our oldest 2 that now that they know that Santa isn’t actually a person who magically delivers presents to the whole world in one night, they get to know the true meaning of Santa and they get to BE santa for those who still believe in the magic like their little siblings. So now, they help pick out presents for the 2 little ones from santa and help wrap them. …they still get presents from santa too because now they know that being a santa means carrying on the Christmas spirit for others. They know not to ruin it for other kids who still believe because then they won’t enjoy the magic like my kids have gotten to. We make it into a really special family thing so as not to ruin the christmas spirit of giving instead of receiving

My daughter was 5 when she worked it out but keeps the magic alive for her friends and cousins who still believe

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We never did the Santa thing with our kids, preferring, instead, to present it as a story about the spirit of giving at Christmas. They enjoy the season, but we don’t have to worry about them being disappointed and disillusioned.

Well, technically Santa was a real person. :wink: My two stopped believing when they were 10 although my oldest “believed” an extra 2 years for her younger sister.

I quit believing when I was 8. I found wrapping paper in the closet exactly like what Santa had used. When I confronted my stepmother with my findings she suggested I keep my mouth shut if I knew what was good for me!

At 10 mine still believes but I have always said I have to pay santa! I even said that maybe this year I would not pay santa and maybe we would take a trip to a ski resort being we live in FL. He was heart broken! And begged me not to do that! So the magic is still there.

My son’s 8 and recently told me he knows Santa’s not real that the Santa presents come from me. He also said he pretends like he doesn’t know so it stays exiting for his little sisters. Honestly my heart hurt a little when he told me

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Mine never did. I always told them the story of the real Saint Niklaus and explained that people still dress up as him during Christmas to celebrate his sport of giving. I go more in detail as they get older and can understand the history of it better.

My daughter was 11 or 12, she asked me one day if Santa was real. I told her that the big guy in a red suit doesn’t come into our house at night but the spirit of Christmas is real. I also informed her not to spoil it for anyone and reveal what she knows. She is now there to help keep it real for the little ones. But we still make it magic for her

My 11 year old son figured it out when he was 9 but my 9 year old daughter is still a believer. My son wasnt upset when he found out, he actually tried to make me think he still believed. He didn’t want to hurt my feelings :joy:.

Lol
My oldest two were about eight or nine. But they talked my youngest into another year. She knew there was no Santa but her brother and sister told her that they would get more presents if she acted like she still believed. My kids were conspires