I killed Santa! (confessions of a harried mom)
By miamilady
@miamilady (4910)
United States
December 16, 2007 4:29pm CST
Sorry guys!
I know some of you will hate me for this, but I had to do it.
You see, I just couldn't do it anymore.
I couldn't keep coming up with lame stories about why the snot nosed bratt's down the stree were getting all the best gifts. The latest video game thingamabobs, or i-pods or whathave you, while my relatively well behaved (don't read my other discussions where I complain about my childrens behavior) were receiving extremely modest gifts from Santa.
I just could NOT keep up with the Joneses!
It was actually a somehwat gradual thing.
For a few years I tried. I really did.
I made up the stories. I hid the gifts.
I charged way more on my credit card than I should have.
I stayed up til 2:45 am wrapping gifts while my children slept.
It started during one of these 2:45 am gift wrapping sessions.
I was just too dang tired. I wrapped as much as a could then I just left some unwrapped. I figured hey. Does Santa really always wrap everything?
Then I Said to myself, "I do not want to do this anymore. Christmas is no longer fun!"
Fast forward to the next year...
I figured I'd be subtle. I remembered back to my childhood and how I discovered "the truth".
I saw the gift before Christmas.
Well, I accidentally on pupose, left "the gift" in a very poor hiding place!
I have to tell you...my son is a true believer!
I did everything I could to get him to open his eyes!
He started making up the stories for me!
"oh, well, i guess santa had to come by early huh?"
(sigh)
It took two years of sloppy hiding to get the kid to give up on the idea!
After we got to the point where I was sure he knew but he was just trying to milk me for gifts and teasing me about how he still believed in santa, i really did joking tell him. "Santa is dead!"
Anyways, that's my confession.
Try not to send TOO much hate male.
11 people like this
21 responses
@terri0824 (4991)
• United States
16 Dec 07
I read the whole discussion and have to say the last sentence of this discussion is the funniest. I know you meant MAIL but you spelled MALE. They do sound the same but have much a different meaning. Anyway thanks for the laugh.
4 people like this
@ESKARENA1 (18261)
•
18 Dec 07
HAHAHA i hadnt even noticed, but yes i think we all get too much hate male
blessed be
@miamilady (4910)
• United States
18 Dec 07
I poured my heart and soul into this story and my typo was the funniest thing?? lol
I'm sure you noticed that there were several.
1 person likes this
@rosey3223 (1566)
• United States
16 Dec 07
Honestly I cannot blame you!! My mom did the same thing for me and my sister until I was 11 and my sis was 13. She still will in a way, but I know that it is just to keep that cute tradition alive. But seriously, the only reason why she stopped was because when I was twelve and we had already finished opening presents, I told her in secret that I knew that it was her and dad doing the stockings. So I was the one that killed him that year. My sis also let her know, but every year there would still be at least 2 that were from him and my sis and I just thought that was the cutest thing...to at least keep him and the tradition alive.
Now do I do that for my own children? Yes, but not quite like my mom did. I know that it is a tradition, so as a tradition I will do a couple of gifts, but I do let him know what the true meaning of Christmas is.
3 people like this
@worldwise1 (14885)
• United States
18 Dec 07
Shame on you, miamilady! The little ones have to have something to believe in for as long as possible. I remember when my kids found out. It made me very angry because some other child told one of mine, and so on, and so on... I wanted to do the honors myself when I deemed the time was right-the way I learned. Kids usually will spoil it for the little ones, though, so they would have found out sooner or later.
@miamilady (4910)
• United States
20 Dec 07
I think the teacher was wrong. I would never tell another persons child that. That is the parents place to make that decision.
As far as kids go...kids will be kids. Yeah, it stinks that some kids spoil it for others but that comes with sending them to school, I guess.
I guess it's up to the parent how to handle it when that happens. Do you fess up or just tell your child that the other kids are just non-believers?
@writersedge (22563)
• United States
16 Dec 07
I had to work overnight before one Christmas with a woman who had just lived in a foreign country where no one had very much money. She said she was going back to that country. Her kids were wanting cabage patch dolls at a hundred bucks each and transformers. But in that country, they were happy with stick figures and something home made. I know some people who have decided to only give their children 3 gifts each, siting that the three gifts were all that Jesus got and we're not better than him. That has helped them a lot (if they don't have very many children). Gift giving has really gotten out of hand. Take care
@miamilady (4910)
• United States
18 Dec 07
I like the idea of the 3 gifts and it's relation to the meaning of Christmas. Thanks for the post!
@kimberlylynn (978)
• United States
17 Dec 07
Congratulations on breaking free from the Santa lie! I'm so sick of covering up too, why does Santa at the mall look different from Santa at the holiday party? What does he do if we don't have a fireplace? Why does Santa use the same wrapping paper as we do? Now what to do about the tooth fairy and the Easter bunny?
@miamilady (4910)
• United States
18 Dec 07
lol
You forgot to use different wrapping paper??
*laughing more*
Actually, that was another thing that I accidentally (on purpose) for got to do that last year when I was trying to "help" him open his eyes!
I think when they were little somebody warned me about the wrapping paper issue (or maybe it was my kids when they were to little to really get it) and I started using different paper for Santa gifts.
@kimberlylynn (978)
• United States
18 Dec 07
Yeah, I know I don't always think about the little things. I told them Santa must shop at Walgreens too.
@vera5d (4005)
• United States
16 Dec 07
i think that is a great story...
i didn't even want to tell my son about santa
even now he's 4 and he's recognized all the santas at the store are fake
that is cute your son tried to believe for so long
i don't know how long it will go on
i remember being very upset with my folks for lying to me for so long...
it makes christmas more magical maybe...
@miamilady (4910)
• United States
17 Dec 07
that is cute your son tried to believe for so long
It's also funny how my attitude changed from my first child to my second. With my firt child I was full of enthusiasm. The legnths that I went to, to keep her believeing were unbelievable.
My daughter actually left notes for Santa and the Tooth fairy. I had to forge notes back to her from them. I used my very unpracticed calligraphy to reply.
@vera5d (4005)
• United States
17 Dec 07
would you mind if i shared your story with some ppl?? it is too funny!! you really should submit this to helium or associated content if you haven't signed up with them already.
@vera5d (4005)
• United States
17 Dec 07
my parents used special handwriting too...i never knew my dad could write that neatly until i learned the truth, haha
@visitorinvasion (7709)
• United States
20 Dec 07
You'll get no hatin' from me.
It was time to tell the truth. Santa is supposed to be fun for all involved, not torture on the parents. IMO, you did the right thing for the right reasons. At least your son knows that the brats down the road aren't being favored by Santa--it's like most other things, it boils down to what one can afford. He also will realize one day what you went through out of love for him.
@ESKARENA1 (18261)
•
17 Dec 07
hahhaa what a beautiful post. Well, here in the U.K we have Guy Forks night, 5th of November where we send up rocket fireworks. Well, it didnt take a lot to tell my two kids that santa had been shot down, so there is my confession
blessed be
@34momma (13882)
• United States
17 Dec 07
oh my goodness girl, i just love this post! i am glad someone had the balls to take Santa out! he is such a pain in the butt and get's way to much credit for the hard work that we as parents do! so i say good bye man who had no use anyway! thanks
@tammyr (5946)
• Etowah, Tennessee
18 Dec 07
LOL I told my daughter when she asked at 7 years old. I told her that Santa was real, but that I was Santa. She gave me a devastated look and said "Uhn-uh!!" So I dropped it. Santa was still with us for a couple of years. Last year she knew and I let her pick what she wanted to get for Christmas. She had very few surprises on Christmas morning. I asked her after which way she liked it better, knowing her gifts or having the surprise on Christmas morning. Of course she wanted to be surprised. I hope it will stop her from doing as my son did when young, peeking in the packages before time to open them!
@Kowgirl (3490)
• United States
17 Dec 07
No hate mail from me! I just love a great story. Reading about Christmas and how we tell our children about Santa is fun. I guess he just feels better about receiving gifts if he can make believe it came from someone other than his parents. It makes a person feel good to think that another person cares and will give so willingly.
Once they know that the gifts come from the parents they understand why it's hard to keep up with the "Joneses" Time is the most precious gift of all and I can see you take time to spend with your kids. They will appreciate that more when they get older.
@jillmalitz (5131)
• United States
18 Dec 07
Ah, yes I can understand you. Eventually we all have to learn the hard lessons of life. I know how you feel about keeping up with the Jones. I remember when my kids were little we could not afford a lot so we would get one big toy and a couple of small ones. There was one year when my stepdaughter was little that after she opened her presents, she was disappointed and said "Is that all there is?" That is when you want to kill a kid. I did what I could. Santa brought what he thought the kids would like. I can understand how you feel. Being Santa is a hard job. Then the kids learn that it is a myth. That is a little sad. But life goes on. Then you become a grandmother who only sees the grandkids a couple of times a year. I gave up trying to give presents cause I just cant afford it anymore. Bah Humbug.
@HomeFlower (987)
• Canada
20 Dec 07
Oh don't feel bad. We've all had to kill Santa at some point but I like your story....I would like to share it with a bunch of peeps over the next few days if that's OK with you?
@girlgonefishing (2174)
• United States
17 Dec 07
OMG! This is too funny! I don't know what to tell you. This will be our second Christmas with our boys who are 12 and 16 and they still believe in Santa. We tell them that Santa only brings one small gift and we give them all the rest. We let them know last Christmas that what they get will always depend on what we can afford. We never charge Christmas on credit cards. It litterally has to be what we can afford.
@Lakota12 (42600)
• United States
17 Dec 07
lol when a kid get to be 14 and still says he beleives there is something wrong thre and of course you are being milked for presents1 But I now have to go along with there being a santa for grand daughter is coming to the age to think there is one!.
BUt there was a St. Nick maybe we should tell that story uh?
@babykay (2131)
• Ireland
17 Dec 07
I think Santa is great for young kids at Christmas. It is a magical concept which conjures up all sorts in a child's imagination. I remember myself the joy of anticipating what Santa would bring! But that's the point, its what Santa would bring, not the concept of Santa himself. So why can't parents just get gifts for kids and say its from themselves? Afterall, lots of parents are under huge financial pressure especially around Christmas time. They think up even more outlandish excuses as to why Santa didn't bring the latest gift each year. And nowadays it seems kids are getting even older believing in Santa. I didn't believe beyond the age of about 8, yet my friend tells me her kid believed till age 11. Its my opinion that Santa is a concept perpetuated by Fisher Price, Matel and the other giant toy manufacterers as it bloats their profits. Afterall we find it hard to say no to our kids. I would seriously like to not have Santa in our house at Christmas but its easy for me to say as my one son is under 2 and he hasn't been exposed to it to the extent that he even realises Christmas is around the corner.
@wraithstriderwife (938)
• Philippines
17 Dec 07
hahahah! i can't stop laughing when i've read your discussion. not bad idea huh.. lol!
@Rozie37 (15499)
• Turkmenistan
17 Dec 07
Congratulations on being honest with your children. My mother never told us about any dumb santa claus. We always knew the truth. We were blessed every year on Christmas as children. People from all over would bring us gifts, including the police.
My mother didn't have a lot of money, but she always had a whole lot of love to spread around and that is why we were so blessed. God always takes very good care of his children.
@musicman6 (2406)
• United States
17 Dec 07
That's alright miami, a lot of us had to go through the same thing! The important thing is that I can tell you love your kids a lot and that's what counts the most!
What's funny about my kids is, as they were getting older, and as they were finding out, they didn't squeal,and kept the tradition going for the younger ones, and they even helped us wrap presents, so that helped a lot!! And now they do it with their kids! !
