A Christmas Story

[MoonlightHillFarm]

My brother and I are in our 70’s. I live in Oregon and he lives in Brazil. We were talking tonight on our Christmas call, and I discovered something I never knew.

When I was 5 and he was 7, he told me Santa wasn’t real. I apparently cried.

He was so happy to have news to share, that he went to the neighbor’s and told their children, four of them under 6 years old. They all cried.

Their parents called our parents to let them know. My brother said dad sat him down and told him he needed to be more diplomatic! This so much sounds like my brother and my father.

Just a personal story on my first trauma.

[elleng]

1. My husband was furious with me when I responded to daughter, something like

'many think,' or 'some think.' Sorry, buster, I don't lie as easily as you (he) did, and daughter adopted my point of view.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

2. Thank you for sharing.

I remember quite clearly when my older sister told me that Santa Claus wasn't real.

Many years later, I had two sons who were four years apart in age. I'd kept up the Santa Claus thing for as long as I could, and when older son was 8 or 9, finally asked him something along the lines of, "You do understand your parents are Santa Claus, right?" I gathered from his response that he was trying to protect us, his parents, as much as his younger brother.

On a related note, when I was a young child and still believed in Santa, my mom was very vocal about saying the Santas we saw in department stores or wherever were Santa's helpers, not the real guy who was very busy in the North Pole. Smart move on her part. It maintained the Santa story but allowed for seeing all those other "Santas".

[wnylib]

3. I think that a lot of parents used the "Santa's helpers" story.

Mine did.

My older brother told me the truth when I was around 7. My mother overheard him and did not think fast enough to say something to him like, "Why do you tell her such stories?" Instead, she was visibly annoyed with him so I knew he had told me the truth.

She warned both of us to say nothing to my younger sister or else we would get nothing for Christmas.

[Jspur]

4. I'm 39 and I did the same thing to my younger siblings

when I was 9 years old. I was 9 my younger sister was 7 and my younger brother was 5. I told both of them that Santa wasn't real, and that mom and dad is the one who is giving them presents. They both started crying and I started laughing and I enjoyed it. My parents then brought me into their room and privately told me not to spoil Christmas for them

[MerryBlooms]

5. I was the youngest of 7, a half sister, and very late in life

For my mom. I never believed in Santa. I heard kids at school talk about him, but I never said anything. Santa wasn't a thing in our family. I did however, give my sons that little fantasy for a short few years. I really had no childhood hopes or fantasies... Heck, my mom wasn't interested enough to even keep a baby book on me, and never a birthday cake. She told me she was too old when she had me at 40, and I was a mistake. I never forgot that. So, I made sure my sons had childhood fantasies, birthday parties, etc... And knew they were wanted and cherished.

My sons will have my cedar hopechest. It's filled with my most treasured memories of their childhood, and our family history. ❤

[BigmanPigman]

6. I taught 1st graders for 15 years

and there was always some older siblings spilling the beans and I would have to think fast. I would always tell the class, "Well, you know older brothers and sisters love to say mean things so just ignore them". It worked every time since I said it with complete sincerity in my voice. They would all sit there on the carpet shaking their heads in agreement.

[Freddie]

7. My brother (4 years older) told me

And my daughter did the same to her little brother.
However the grands are doing great. The biggest (12) didn’t tell her little brother (8) who is finally figuring it out on his own, but both big ones have been awesome keeping the secret from the littlest (4).

[murielm99]

8. My youngest told me that her big brother had

told her Santa wasn't real when she was five. She said she felt badly for awhile, but she never mentioned it to me.

My son was away at school. He was nineteen. I called him and told him, in a joking way, that he was a terrible big brother. I asked him why he would do such a thing. He got it. He knew I was joking. He said, "Mom, that's what big brothers are for!"

[Pobeka]

9. Our children never fessed up they new Santa was a myth. They knew a good deal when they had it!