Whatever religion you may or may not be, kids everywhere have at least heard of Santa Claus. Then comes the dilemma. What do you tell your kids? Is he real? Is he fake? Just the “spirit” of Christmas? And if you are religious, sometimes you don’t want to pull from your religion and you wonder what to press for your children.
We chose to share Santa with Charlotte as a real person. I’m not sure it was a decision, it just naturally flowed that way. I have no memories of ever knowing Santa was fake, so it must not have been that traumatic for me to find out. Although she has visited Santa in the past at the mall, it has NOT gone over well at any time and last year, she refused to even get a picture with him. Judging by our Easter shot with the Easter Bunny, it was probably a wise decision. I think now being almost 4, she has started being less scared and more interested. Judging by all the princess and Mickey Mouse hugging she gave in Disney, I think we have a pretty good shot to see Santa this year.
To open up the Christmas season we bought an advent calendar, a My Little Pony advent calendar, and everyday she gets to open up a prize that leads us up to Christmas day.
Let me tell you that she was PISSED that she only got to open one day and the fun quickly turned to drama over this thing. Not that I blame her because anytime I get a chocolate calendar, I eat them all in about one sitting.
Yesterday, as we are sitting in my office talking about Christmas,
I said “Santa is coming in a few weeks! He is going to bring you lots of presents!”
she said “yeah, tomorrow?”
I said “no, in a few weeks”
She stops and thinks for a minute.
she said “Is he going to stay with us?”
Why didn’t I think of that? Of course she wants him to stay with us. I mean, this Santa guy is handing out presents. Seems like a perfect solution. She is getting wittier and wittier everyday.
She turns back to her game on my office floor building a block tower. She wanted to build them up, one by one, very high, and they kept falling over. Charlotte gets frustrated when things are not perfect, so after about five times of falling,
she said ” I cant do it”
I said “you can do it, you need to make a bigger base on the bottom, more blocks, and build up”
she said “But I cant”
I said “You can do it! Your doing a good job!”
she said “Are you just trying to make me feel better?”
Did I mention she is not even 4 yet?
~Trisha
I apparently found out about Santa when I was 4. I only remember my cousin (my best friend at the time) telling me and me saying “well that makes sense.” According to my mom, I was always more skeptical… she thinks I just let them tell me santa was real until I found out differently. I don’t remember being upset about santa not being real, I was just very very angry that people lied to me my whole life (hey, I was 4!).
Too cute on the story! DS doesn’t know what to think about Santa just yet. He is 3 1/2.
I just can’t get past not telling my kids the truth. We can pretend in Santa all day long, but he’s just pretend. Jesus on the other hand is real.
Our kids know the truth, that being that there once was a man who gave gifts to children, and it was such a nice thing that they called him a saint, and then he died. We pretend Santa, but they know it’s us putting things in their stockings on St. Nicks day(dec 6th). On Christmas it’s all about Jesus. We don’t ask them what do they want from Santa, we just don’t carry it that far. We did do all that with our first son and when he was old enough and found out the truth he said “Lets just tell the truth to my brothers from the beginning, it’s too confusing”. So we followed that lead. At the store my kids shock some folks when they’re asked what do they want from Santa, they say “nothing, Santa is dead, but momma will give us something good”…it’s pretty hillarious. They are overflowed with joy over receiving gifts so I have no guilt that I’m stealing something from them. They seem fine with it so it’s the way we go.
P~
My aunt gave my daughter an Advent calendar. (Pic is on my Monday blog post). The presents are amazing and she loves it. Unfortunately it got me way too much into the Christmas spirit and now I don’t want to go to work anymore.
What do you mean? Is that a question? I believe in santa!
Cameron is in 3rd grade and still believes whole heartedly Santa. I know one day I’ll have to tell her that he’s not…I’m not sure how, but I’m going to let it last for as long as it will – I love the magic that goes along with the belief.
LOL! WOW! My boys know what Santa looks like, they have sat on his lap to take pictures. Connor has gotten more interested in it as we talk about it each day.
My brother and I used to get chocolate Advent Calendars from a neighbor down the street from us when we were little LOVED them and would eat ONE A DAY!
I’ve thought about trying to find two of them for the boys. Not sure if Walmart has them or not, but I will look.
she is one smart cookie! Of course Santa is real, and real broke this year lol!!!
your in trouble with that girl Trisha, she is a smarty pants!
My boys still believe in Santa, even I believe!! My mama always says when you stop believing he stops coming… I BELIEVE!! I BELIEVE!!!
Oh man, she is a trip Trisha! We totally get into the whole Santa thing here and I cannot wait to take Aiden to see him at the mall this year. I never want him to find out he’s not for real, but it will happen in school or something one day and he will prolly be ok, but I will cry. LOL
Me and my husband go back and forth about this. He doesn’t want the kids to believe in Santa but I do. I loved it when I was a kid but was also disappointed when I found out he wasn’t. Right now, our kids are only 4 and 2 so they don’t have a huge idea about him anyway. They know of Santa and that you go and sit on his lap and he is in the Christmas movies but they don’t know yet what he does. I think that is probably the way it will end up being. They know of Santa being a Holiday Figure that represents Christmas and gives you candy canes and Mommy and Daddy fill the stockings and buy the presents..but we will see!
I just fear that my kids will ruin it for other kids when they go to school!
I told my daughter from the beginning that Santa was a real person, who lived and died just like everybody does. He was very generous, and he gave gifts to children who didn’t have money.
So one day in December (when she was 3 or 4) she goes to the grocery store with Hubs. The checkout lady asks her what Santa is going to bring her for Christmas. What’s she say?
My Mommy says Santa’s dead.
Nice.
Not quite the conversation we had.
Hubs said the look on the lady’s face was priceless!
Honestly though, I’m the only person in our family that tells her the truth about Santa, and I’m the only person she DOESN’T believe!
My kids believe. My daughter is terrified of him at the store though. She glares at him and says “I not sitting there”. I’m thinking our santa picture this year is going to be a beauty…probably Christmas card material (I’m evil).
My son is confused with how santa knows that he is being good or bad so I have traumatized my son and told him that there are lots and lots of magic camera’s that pop up all over the place and record whether he is being good or bad. He can’t seem them so he never knows when they are going to tape him. It is freakin hilarious to watch him be bad and then get this look on his face and start looking all around him for this magic camera. <—i’m thinking that last sentence is going to end up being a blog post…
My boys are both too young to understand Santa yet but we’ll have Santa do the stocking gifts and we’ll do the big gifts. That big guy gets too much credit! haha
Santa is real in this house. Not sure how long with my 8 year old though. She is starting to question it. I just say if you believe he is real than that is all that matters. We will do the same with Emma. Angela was 4 when we finally got our smiley Santa pic!
Yes Mine believe in Santa. Just yesterday I was sitting here and had my Woopra up and it said “Who’s on the nice and Naughty list?” My oldest asked if Santa sent it to me.
Yep, Santa is a real person who lives at the North Pole. My son is 6 and still believes. Santa comes to our house to celebrate the birth of baby Jesus. Santa is so excited by this that he likes to give presents to all the little boys and girls to celebrate. katelyn is 2 this year and is scared to death of Santa. No good pics of her on santa’s lap this year!!
SANTA IS REAL!!!
Haven’t you watched him on Google Earth?
He flies around the world jumping from place to place. Heck … it is how we get all the kids in bed (even the teens) when he starts getting close to Colorado, milk and cookies are placed out… and “The Fat Man” as I affectionately call him, will wander into the house and leave gifts!
Santa leaves stockings and one gift per kids. He’s a cool cat!
My oldest knows Santa looks like me.
My second has a pretty good idea.
My son hasn’t lead on that he knows any different.
My forth child still believes.
My fifth and sixth think the fat man is Mr. Jimmy, my best friend
I was going to do an advent calender too, but decided against it because I know my 4 year old would throw a fit or would get into the other days whenwe were not paying attention.
I think he is just starting with the curiousity of Santa.
We have a concept of Santa here but not anything that is hard core. It was a flowy kind of thing here too. Of course I use the click camera but I think it has more impact for sending a picture to Grammy than Santa! We’ve never had pictures done with Santa come to think of it. Maybe it would be a bigger deal if we had.
She is so funny!! My son believes in Santa and that he is a real person. I actually wouldn’t mind him believing until he’s 20!! Its just fun to believe like that as a kid. Sometimes i get a little ticked that this make-believe jolly fat guy gets all the credit for all my hardwork…but someday he’ll know the truth!
Charlotte is so cute!! My children do believe that Santa is a real person who lives in the North Pole and can see what they’re doing anytime through his magic snowglobe.
LOL…she’s too smart!!