The Ghost of Christmas Disappointment

I understand how you must have felt apricot. Some Mothers just answer on the spur of the moment don't they, without really thinking!It's always a bad idea to tell a child the truth about Father Christmas anytime in Autumn/Winter.

I always insisted to the DCs that Father Christmas was real.

Even when I told them that I'd had an email from him, telling me he wouldn't be personally filling their stockings any more, because he knew that they'd still be in the pub when he got to our road.

JaneA.
I was about 8 when I overheard my mother and a friend talking about filling stockings. I'd had my suspicions before that so wasn't disappointed. I didn't let on to my mum because I knew she would want me to go on believing and I knew my younger sisters would still believe.

My next door neighbour said in front of my daughter 'of course she doesn't believe in Father Christmas any more, does she'. Up till then DD had told all of her friends that Santa WAS real because her mum would NEVER lie to her .

Of course he's real. Just ask my twelve year old grandson. He got most upset today because he was watching The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and his seven year old sister started crying when the wolf got the fox. He told her to stop crying, and then got upset because he'd told his sister off and Santa would not come.
That took a lot of sorting out.

Of course he's real.

Those adults who deny him are simply trying to apply logic over magic.

Two things resulted in me being told that FC did not exist - I asked my parents why they never bought me a present when I bought one for them; and I found the raw materials for a present that apparently FC had brought!

I can't remember how old I was, about 7 I think. I woke about 5am on Christmas morning and was horrified to see Santa hadn't left me anything. Even more so when I went to my brother's room and Santa had been there.

Mum was woken by the fuss I made and promptly started a row with dad. Saying 'You said you'd do hers I was doing his' that's the moment I discovered Santa wasn't real

I was seven when noisy banging woke me up on Christmas eve. I sleepily made my way to where all the noise was coming from to discover my Father putting the finishing touches to a doll's cot he had made for Christmas.

I remember how upset he was and I felt I had spoiled a bit of magic for both of us.

It didn't bother me that there wasn't really a Santa Claus, I was just thrilled to be getting the cot

I must have been 8 or so when there was a classroom argument about whether Father Christmas really existed. There was only a handful of us that insisted, despite the scorn of our classmates, that he did.

I was determined that Christmas to stay awake and prove the non-believers were wrong. I'd tried to stay awake other years to see Santa but had always fallen asleep.

I was trying desperately to keep awake when I heard mum and dad talking in low voices as they came upstairs. I pretended to be asleep. Hoping against hope that my suspicions were wrong, after I felt presents being deposited at the end of my bed, I opened my eyes to see not the departing figure of Santa Claus but my dad creeping out of the room.

Disappointment isn't the word - I was devastated!

7 or 8 seems to be the age when children become aware that magical thinking is, well mostly just that. Children then continue the beliefs don't they, for the younger ones, because it's so much fun to suspend belief and believe in magic (good magic I mean of course)

I think I was about 6 or 7 when I asked my mother if I could write to FC. She snapped ' there is no such person, you'll be lucky to get anything! Ghastly woman!!!

DD1 was 8 when she asked us if Santa was real.

DD2 still hasn't asked.......she is 36

My DGS is now 10, but up until recently I always organised a Santa letter for him from the NSPCC, which bore personalised details supplied by me. At school, there was a heated debate as to the reality or otherwise of Father Christmas, which my DGS brought to an end by announcing 'But I have proof! I have a letter!' which he promptly produced from his bag. Not only did this silence the unbelievers, but apparently caused some panic in their ranks.

I never asked. Reality just dawned on me at some point. I don't remember at what age that was but it was before I was ten. It had dawned on DD2 by the time she was four.

Neither of us cared in the least. One can still pretend/make believe and use one's imagination.

The dawning happened to DDs 1 and 3 as well, without them ever asking. It didn't seem to bother them. Why should it? The stories still exist, just as the stories of other mythical creatures. fairies various, the Hobbit, and Harry Potter still exist. Father Christmas is just another such.

It was Christmas Eve and I was five years old, my mother had left home three months previously, and waking up after hearing noises downstairs I crept down (intrepid huh?) to find my very drunken father crying and being noisily sick over a few unwrapped gifts. The next day the gifts were wrapped and my dad told me and my siblings that Father Christmas had been, but we all knew differently!! I didn't have a really good Christmas again until I was in my thirties.

DH and I took our three to Beamish yesterday. They make a real effort at Christmas time and the Santa Claus is wonderfully realistic and actually takes time chatting to the children rather than rushing them through on a conveyor belt.

The two youngest (4 and 6) chatted away with him, telling him what they would like him to bring for them. Eldest DGD (8) just sat there staring at him (weighing him up). Santa then said "well then, which one of you was it that I heard was a bit naughty last Thursday?" Eldest DGD looked at her brother and sister and they each pointed at each other, it was so comical. Santa then said " oh dear that's typical.... Everyone's blaming each other" "never mind as long as you have all been good since then I will strike that off my naughty list" needless to say they didn't stop talking about it all the way home and it was the first thing they told mummy and daddy when we arrived back.

Teetime Your very sad childhood Christmas memory makes my disappointment re the non-existence of Santa seem totally insignificant.

I do hope you have had many good Christmases since then.

My DS was hugely relieved when he asked me very confidentially if Father Chrustmas was pretend - a boy at school had told him it was - and I confirmed it. He had always been scared stiff of someone coming into the house at night and even worse, into his bedroom. I doubt very much whether any child believes in FC after the age of 8 - there's always one at school who tells!

Oh thank you Eloethan I do push the boat out at Christmas- I overfed and watered the neighbours yesterday - very quiet in our street this morning!!!

I always felt a bit uncomfortable with the Father Xmas bit with my children and didnt go on about it too much. I always said that if they asked if he was real I wouldn't be able to fib and so would tell them that it was just a nice story. They just somehow stopped believing without any great dramas apart from when my son's friend pointed out that his gifts had been bought by his parents from Argos, not made by elves ( said child had an older brother and knew the truth from about 3).

Apparently I took against Father Christmas in a big way when I was a little boy, so anonymous presents were inscribed as coming from Eeyore. I was happy with that, as they were always very good ones!

Our DSs never asked and still believe even though 2 of them are now fathers. They know that FC won't come unless they believe. Actually Mr N still believes too!

I think our system worked because FC only fills the stockings and all the presents are from people. I have to say that poor old FC has the dickens of a job finding lots of suitable very small things to put in the stockings!

I don't understand - OF COURSE HE IS REAL!!!