My kids are arguing over the existence of Santa Claus.
By katsmeow1213
@katsmeow1213 (28717)
United States
December 10, 2010 3:40pm CST
My daughter decided all on her own that she doesn't believe in Santa anymore. She just turned 8. Last year she was already deciding he didn't exist.. but this year she's certain.
Her twin brother still believes though. So the two of them argue about it. She will make a point "Santa can't get to every child on the planet in one night" and he will argue "He uses magic to freeze time" she will make another valid point and he will argue with magic. Some of her points are things like "Well, why does Santa have mom's handwriting?" or "Why do mom and dad get gifts for each other but only Santa gets gifts for us." or "Why does Santa shop at the same place mom does?" "Why does Santa use the same wrapping paper mom does?". Yeah, she's a pretty smart cookie!
Have your kids ever argued the existence of Santa? Does one of your kids believe beyond a doubt that Santa does exist and no one can change their mind?
2 people like this
8 responses
@owlwings (43915)
• Cambridge, England
10 Dec 10
I think that I was also about eight when I realised that Father Christmas was a piece of elaborate play-acting put on (mostly) for the benefit of us children. I have a younger brother so I was quickly assured by my older brother and sister that now I was a member of a somewhat 'elite' group of people who knew the truth but still pretended.
Our ritual was really quite developed. My father always had to go to work after Christmas lunch and we all expressed our sorrow at this and waved him goodbye as he disappeared down the drive. A few minutes later, of course, Father Christmas appeared in his red cloak, beard and boots and carrying a sack. He was admitted with much celebration and, strangely, always spoke with a Kentish accent (my father was born in Kent but VERY rarely spoke the common tongue of those parts). He spent maybe an hour carefully distributing presents and getting our names muddled up, accepted a cup of tea (which he had trouble drinking through his beard) and left, regretting that he hadn't been able to distribute presents to the man of the house.
2 people like this
@katsmeow1213 (28717)
• United States
10 Dec 10
That's funny.
Around here Santa comes in the middle of the night while the children are sleeping.. so mom and dad can both watch them open gifts in the morning. Children are not allowed to see Santa Claus, otherwise he will not leave them any gifts.
1 person likes this
@dawnald (85135)
• Shingle Springs, California
10 Dec 10
Heck, my kids haven't believed in Santa for so long that I don't remember any more. I never heard them arguing about it though. I do remember going to a Christmas party when I was about 8, and my dad was playing Santa, and I wanted to tell all the kids, "that's not Santa, it's my dad", but all the adults were shushing me...
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@katsmeow1213 (28717)
• United States
10 Dec 10
Secrets are never safe with children! Learned that the hard way.
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@GardenGerty (157691)
• United States
10 Dec 10
My kids did not really believe in Santa, so it was not an issue. It was more so a problem between my cousin and us.
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@danishcanadian (28953)
• Canada
11 Dec 10
We don't have kids. My sister and I never argued over Santa, but we did make some funny points. The shopping point reminded me of something Mom told us my sister said when she was little. She's 4 years older than me, so I wasn't around for this one.
"Mommy, LOOK!! Santa shops at Sears!"
Hahahahaha Mom will never forget that! LOL
@katsmeow1213 (28717)
• United States
11 Dec 10
A few years ago we went to Disney Store and got a few things for my kids. One was a T-shirt for my son.. and it must have fallen out of the bag. When I picked the kids up from school he saw it, and I freaked out! I told him I bought it to give to charity so some poor little boy could open it on Christmas.. then when he opened it on Christmas I told him Santa must have seen that he liked the shirt so got him one of his own! I guess he bought it because he's the one arguing Santa's existence.
@gemini_rose (16264)
•
11 Dec 10
With each year my children get older I dread them finding out that santa does not exist, I think it is the biggest lie I have ever told my children. One of my boys is so sensitive I really think he will be quite upset when he realises. At the moment they all still seem to believe and my boys are now 10 and 8 so I am pretty surprised that they do not know by now. I have had a suspicion that my 10 year old does not believe anymore but as yet he has never actually come out and said anything so I just say nothing either.
@katsmeow1213 (28717)
• United States
11 Dec 10
I think my oldest was around 8 when I told him the truth.. and he didn't believe me at first. Seems it's easier for boys to believe than for girls.
@oldchem1 (8132)
•
11 Dec 10
I always quote the letter that The Sun newspaper sent to the little girl who wrote to them in 1897:
"DEAR EDITOR: I am 8 years old.
"Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus.
"Papa says, 'If you see it in THE SUN it's so.'
"Please tell me the truth; is there a Santa Claus?
"VIRGINIA O'HANLON.
"115 WEST NINETY-FIFTH STREET."
VIRGINIA, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except [what] they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men's or children's, are little. In this great universe of ours man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect, as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.
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. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.
Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies! You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas Eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if they did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that's no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world.
You may tear apart the baby's rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived, could tear apart. Only faith, fancy, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, VIRGINIA, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding.
No Santa Claus! Thank God! he lives, and he lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.
http://www.newseum.org/yesvirginia/
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
13 Dec 10
Thankfully this hasn't been something that we have had to deal with at our house yet. However, I think that it is going to be next year that we have that happen here. You see, we try to be very tricky and it is a little bit more difficult to figure out at our house because Santa does leave some things for my husband and myself and we always try to hide the gifts that we have gotten well. Now, the thing is a couple of things that we've hidden have been discovered and though nothing has been said about it at this point, I'm afraid that it might.
