Without making too light of the situation, I will do what my in-laws did for my husband and his siblings. They told them that Santa was real and if they wanted to get gifts, they had to believe because Santa doesn't bring gifts to kids who don't believe. Santa will know if he tells his little brother there is no Santa and will only bring gifts for the little brother :) My parents always wrapped our gifts from Santa in special paper. Their gifts never had Santa on the paper and they hid the "Santa" paper year-round. Good Luck:)
Hi And Merry Christmas!! I was at the holiday parade yesterday with my scouts. And Santa came up to say hi since we wouldn't see him in the parade.I have a group of boys from the age 5-11 there. I held my breath when Santa came up because I was really afraid of what the boys who didn't believe would say. But to my amazement all of them got really excited and you could tell they still believed. I had a talk with the parents as this was going on and they all said that their boys still believed because Christmas is magic and you don't question magic, if you do it looses it's power. I have learned that kids are believing a lot longer now days. My 12 year old still believes, he has wondered before but I have told him do you really want to question it? And he of coarse says no way. My parents always keep the magic of Christmas alive, Santa still came to our house till we moved out and started our own families. Hope this helped And as for the tooth fairy none of my boys believe in her, sometimes I tell the boys I have to help Santa, Easter Bunny, Tooth fairy out because there are just so many kids. So when they catch me doing something then That explains it. I personally think that with this world the way it is, and kids having to grow up so much faster, why not let them believe?
I may be opening a can of worms here, but I never did understand why parents do the Santa and Tooth Fairy idea. They AREN'T real and so the kids are disappointed or feel stupid when they realize that everyone else knew except them. What is wrong with you being a kind parent and just rewarding them for losing their tooth or just buying them presents at Christmas?? I mean, think about it...it's a lie and do you want to teach your kids that lying is ok??
I realize many people won't agree with me...and that's ok. Please don't jump down my throat on our views...it's just an idea on how you could handle this situation. My daughters have both grown up knowing the truth about Santa, etc and they were grateful.
Good luck with whatever you decide.
I have a friend who experienced this. She warned her older children that if they wanted to see presents under the tree for themselves Christmas morning their little sister better not here that Santa isnt real. She said it worked like a charm. Good Luck and Happy Holidays. And just for the record... I dont remember ever being embarassed or feeling stupid for believing in Santa or the tooth fairy, in fact some of my best childhood memories are of when I believed. It's all about the children and family and Santa just makes it more fun!
The first year, when my daughter wasn't sure but really WANTED to believe, I pulled out all the stops to make it possible for her to continue. She wrote a note and left it for Santa on Christmas Eve, and I wrote a response left handed with a different handwriting. When she read it in the morning, the first thing she commented was that it was NOT a familiar handwriting!! That extra hour in the middle of the night paid off in spades!!!!
The second year, I addressed it early in December. I explained that it was a "grownup" secret, expressing love for the children, and now she was in on the "grownup" secret, so she needed to help us as grownups to keep it special for her little brother. It worked well. When both kids were old enough, they had to keep the "grownup" secret for the benefit of their young cousins. Stress the love which is embodied in the Santa story, and the positive values of believing for the younger ones. Equally important, this is a growing up stage, and you are so proud of them and grateful for the love they show by helping to keep the story going.
Good luck!
I know this is a little late....but here is what I did...there is 10 yrs between my oldest and youngest. My oldest son was about 12 or so when he stopped believing in Santa, and I informed him if he ruined it for his younger brothers I would be very upset. To this day he hasn't said a word and as a matter of fact for the whole year he pretends he is an informer for Santa to tell Santa if his younger brothers have been naughty or nice. My 11 yr old I think is now starting to not believe in Santa. But I still get Santa and Mrs. Claus and Elf presents under my parents tree.
My mother filled me in on Santa when I was only 7 and I was so upset that she went & told me such a thing! I still wanted to believe. She told me not to tell my younger siblings and there was no way I was about to tell them anyway, because I was devistated to learn it myself! When my older son was in first grade, he came home and told me that some kids at school were saying there's no Santa. I was not about to let those kids ruin it for my kids, so I told him: "You know what, Honey, some people choose not to believe in Santa. I'm glad we believe." Without any hesitation he responded: "Me too!!!" All was grand for the following four Christmases! Let the kid believe. :)
How about renting the movie "Polar Express"?
It's such a great movie and maybe your 7 year old won't question it?? When my daughter was in 5th grade 10 1/2 years old (last year) she asked me "Is Santa real" I said, "What do you think" She said, no..I said well, you are right (She was obviously old enough) I also said that if she ever told her two younger brothers she wouldn't get gifts for Christmas. Also I explained the spirit of Santa is in all of us, and Santa is just a little part of why we celebrate Christmas and that Jesus birthday is the reason for the season - and that Santa just makes it extra Special he isn't called St. Nick for nothing!!! I wish you luck on this and GOOD LUCK!!
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!
I am in my late 20's early 30's i now the truth but there is something about still beliveing that makes the seasons feel good. My one son who is 9 has asked me and i told him that santa is real and he was happy about that. I told him that let the other kids belive what they want and we belive in what we want to.
So many diffent religons and belives any more. What dose it hurt for the kids to have something magic to look forward to.
Here is what my Mom and Dad did for me. Mom said if I didn't believe in Santa, he'd quit coming. Santa came right up until I got married. :) And he comes every year, like he did for my kids, and now my grandkids. I'll never forget the year I got a '66 Mustang from Santa. Yes I knew but my Mom believed in the magic of believing and so do I. And yes, we're Baptists, Christian, and we know the difference. God is real. But I believe imagination is important in a childs life also. Just make sure they know the difference.
Hi!
My daughter also found out about Santa at 7, So after we talked about how much fun was waiting for Santa on Christmas Day, and remembering and talking about the good and "positive" things, I asked her that now it was her job to let her little sister enjoy until she'd found out. Christmas is a magic time and we all have to feel the Joy of the season in giving and believing. That's what Christmas was all about! My young one is 5 and my oldest 10, and she still celebrated it like if she was 5!!!!!
Merry Christmas!!!!!!
Jess
There is actually a lot of truth behind the concept of Santa. Check out the website www.stnicholascenter.org and you can learn more about the man that became a legend. I'm happy to see that each Christmas, so many people are celebrating and imiating the kind and loving deeds of a person from so many years ago.
Also, check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yes,_Virginia,_there_is_a_Santa_Claus This is a wonderful story to share with any "doubters" - child or adult.
Merry Christmas!
My son is almost 9 and on the fence about Santa we told him to keep his adult opinions about it to himself and not to say anything in front of his sister. If he wanted to ask us about it we will discuss it.
I have four kids and when our oldest figured out who was really Santa we told him to keep it our secret. The joy of playing Santa with us every year has helped him play along. Now he really enjoys helping us wrap and set everything up the night before and seeing the happy faces of his siblings in the morning.
I agree with those who say "why lie to your children?" My parents always taught me that Santa was just a fun part of Christmas but that it was mom and dad who brought the gifts. I've had friends tell me that when they found out that Santa wasn't real they wondered what other lies they had been told. I am a believer in "Jesus is the reason for the season" so I've always tried to teach my children that and downplay the Santa part. They've always been just fine with that, as was I. I heard someone say once that when they found out Santa was a lie they wondered if Jesus was a lie too! Just something to consider!
My DSS was about 9 when he got in a fight with his friend. His friend told him there was no Santa (I was always raised as a Jesus is the reason type, but had fun just pretending about Santa...but my DSS was raised by his grandma till he was 7, so he was a firm Santa believer). My DSS started arguing with his friend that Santa WAS real....so he came home crying and all upset because they had fought, so we talked with him and asked who was more important, a guy that brings him presents once a year and he has never even met or seen, or his friend, who he plays with every day and sees all the time. He realized how his priorities were messed up, and quickly went to apologize to his friend. They made up, but my husband and I decided it was time to spill the beans about Santa Claus. We also told him that it was a fun tradition and that younger children enjoy it, so please don't tell his younger sister. She is now 7, two years later, and she still believes and he has done a good job respecting our request. I figured another couple years (she was only 6) wouldn't hurt. She is very pragmatic and will probably figure out that Santa is just for pretend, all on her own. The funny part is, DSS still believes in the tooth fairy!
I'm struggling with something similar...I don't WANT to lie to my kids anymore. They are almost 7 and almost 5 and I worry that by lying to them about Santa, when they discover the truth about that, they'll question the reality of Jesus, and that's the last thing I want them to doubt. I never wanted to START the Santa thing, but my husband said we should and I went along with it and I regret it. I feel like I'm misleading them and they will feel like they can't totally trust what I tell them. I'm thinking of spilling the beans after this Christmas. That's not to say they can't go sit on Santa's lap and pretend and play the "game", but I want the focus of Christmas to be where it belongs, on Jesus. If anyone has any thoughts on that, you can respond to me privately...I guess I should've just posted my own separate question, but oh well!
I know a couple moms who were "honest" with their children and they were devastated. They wanted to believe no matter what. I heard from a friend that they told their children that as long as they believe, santa will keep coming. When we talked about this her daughter was 18 and had never had the Santa discussion.
I have talked to my kids about it (age 10, 7 and 7) and we've filtered down to there is no "person" santa. At the mall, people play santa more of a tradition rather than the real one. But Santa is more a belief than a person. Like God, we believe but we can't see him. It's a feeling rather than something tangible.
They're good with that and that's ok with me.
I'm quite puzzled by all those who are talking about lying. It's really odd. Santa is not about dishonesty, Santa is about magic!
When I was nine I used logic to figure out that there was no Santa, and I felt grown-up, not betrayed. I totally understood what my parents were doing, and I helped keep the secret for my little sister. My 11 year old son knows, because he figured it out (I would NEVER tell a child, "oh by the way, there is no Santa"), and he would never tell his little brother. When older children figure it out, they do NOT feel that they have been lied to, they feel grown-up, and they enjoy keeping the secret for the younger ones.
I think that when the younger one figures it out, at some point the presents will be from Mom and Dad, instead of some being from Santa, but I haven't decided yet.
Santa is about magic, and wonder, and tradition, and I just love him.
I have always refused to lie to my children and I'm sticking to that. My kids know that it takes me many hours of working my behind off to earn the money to buy them Christmas presents and if I didn't work, there would not be any presents. Nothing is free in life, and that is what I teach my children. I remember learning that Santa wasn't real, and the Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny...it was all lies, and it was all heart breaking...so, I promised myself that I would never put my children through that. To each their own, but I HATE when other parents try to put me down for telling my kids the truth about things. You have the right to raise your children the way you want, so tell them if you want to, or don't, but don't let anyone, even me, influence your decision...go with your heart.