Do you still believe?

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 31 May 2002, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Kiama	31 May 2002
I was watching an old episode o fAlly McBeal at lunch today, and it was one of the Christmas ones,where Ally was talking to the guy who stutters alot (I've forgotten his name... I don't watch Ally that much!) and she was saying that she thinks Santa Claus is the true meaning of Christmas: Being able to believe in something that isn't real. The guy then confesses that he believed until he was 12, when his Mother told him Santa Claus fondled the elves... (Apparantly, she did this cuz her therapist said that to get him to stop believing in Santa, she first neded to lower his estimation of Santa.. The nextyear she told the guy that anta had died from a heart attack: High Cholestorol...) Anyway, I was wonering: Do you still believe in Santa Claus? If not, when did you stop believing, and why? I stopped believing when I saw my Dad pretending to be Santa Claus filling my stocking when I was about 9... I have a friend who's sister is 15 and still believes.. Kiama

Maan	31 May 2002
I was around 9 years old when i discovered that everything i got from santa ( Sinterklaas in the netherlands) was made by my father in his little tool shed! The next year the holliday was even more funn because me and my parents shared a secret.....my little brother did not now! I felt so mature ;)

wavebreaker	31 May 2002
That is actually the greatest time: when you know Santa doesn't exist, but you have a younger brother or sister who still believes and you have to put up the show! ;)

Malachite	31 May 2002
I'm not sure I ever really believed... At the first Christmas end of term in primary school, the headteacher came around, dressed as Santa... well, officially, santa came around...but me, being the little bugger i am..., I stood up and said *you're not santa, you're Mr Heath!* oh well....;)

Kiama	31 May 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Malachite At the first Christmas end of term in primary school, the headteacher came around, dressed as Santa... well, officially, santa came around...but me, being the little bugger i am..., I stood up and said *you're not santa, you're Mr Heath!* oh well....;) Adam, I am truly convinced you are evil.... :P Kiama

Diana	31 May 2002
Well of course, I don't really believe in him as a person. But I believe in the spirit of Santa Claus, and so yes, I do believe in him. And always will.

Jenny-Li	31 May 2002
Although I have to agree with Diana on believing in the Christmas Spirit in the form of Santa/Jultomten - I was more like Malachite when I was a kid - the first to figure out it was grandpa in a costume...! My grandfather put up such a great show though, we all played along until the youngest of us cousins were in her teens, and grandpa decided HE was too old for that stuff...!! :D Lately my christmases have been less spirit and more surface, my hubby and I having to travel 600 km and visit 4 places (my mom, my dad, his mum and his dad... Plus the occasional grannies and aunts... Phew) - and still mostly get whining about coming so late and not staying for longer... :( Can't wait to have kids of my own, so I can give them the Christmas Spirit I believe in...! :) Light and love, Jenny

Red raven	31 May 2002
I agree with Diana. I found out Santa wasn't a person when I was about 5, but I was taught he's more of a spirit of kindness than a person. so yup, I still believe.

Sam	31 May 2002
i'm jewish so i never really believed in santa, even though i celebrate christmas w/ my mom's side of the family.

Faerie Lin	31 May 2002
I don't think I ever really believed in Santa either... But I'm all for the "Spirit" of it all. Lin

kayne	31 May 2002
Sadly, I was the last kid in my family to still believe in 'Father Christmas' at age 8 or 9 and Mum actually sat me down and told me that he wasn't real... as well as the Easter Bunny... (I think I had worked out that the Tooth Fairy didn't really give me money for my teeth but I was convinced they lived in the 'babie's tears' in the front yard...) I was a bit sad but mostly felt really stupid for believing it for real. (Piscean here...:P) Although, it was a bit poor because Mum had all the best answers for questions like, "Why are there so many Father Christmas's?" and "Why do they have cotton wool for beards?" It was because they were all Father Christmas's helpers of course! The REAL Father Christmas had WAY too much to do in the North Pole to sit around in a shopping centre all day. However, the Father Christmas that was on the end of the float in the Christmas pagent was the REAL one. He was like a celebrity to me... :D

destinyawaitsme	01 Jun 2002
My older brother told me. He always liked to make me miserable. I remember I was mortified, but when I realized I was stil going to get presents. I got over it. lol

Zhritza	01 Jun 2002
I did Christmas with my dad and his side of the family as a child, but my mom, my brother and I are Jewish. So, not only did I never believe in Santa, but in fact, from a very early age, Santa annoyed me, because he reminded me that I was different and misunderstood. Other kids weren't usually mean about my Judaism, but I felt very strange for not being Christian, even though I've always enjoyed Jewish holidays far more than Christmas. I wish I could have the attitude that most people I know have toward Christmas: that it's not about religion, it's about giving and being with loved ones and celebrating winter.

Kiama	01 Jun 2002
The Spirit Of Christmas... Thanks for mentioning it Diana! For me, the Spirit is stll there, because my two little sisters still believe in Santa Claus, and watching them on Christmas morning is so wonderful and fun! (Although I have to admit, I am the first to wake up on Christmas morning, and run to my stocking, dragging it into Mum and Dad's room at about 5:30am.. Then dragging little sisters outta bed too... I LOVE Christmas!) I'm a big kid at heart really... And the SMELLS! The tree, and the 80's plastic decorations... And the wrapping paper, and the dinner... Okay, I want Christmas NOW!!!! Kiama

Moonklad	01 Jun 2002
My parents never lead me to believe that Santa Claus was real, nor the easter bunny. They thought it was wrong to lie to a child even for the sake of fantasy. So, I never believed in Santa. It also had something to do with my father wanting to teach us the "true" meaning behind the holidays. I guess it worked out because now I DO know the true meaning of the holidays and their pagan orgin. Bet he never intended that! lol Blessings, Moonklad

Diana	01 Jun 2002
My folks were also of the generation where they thought it was lying to kids to make them believe in Santa or the Easter Bunny. But I didn't believe my folks. I would set my alarm clock early for many years at Easter, because I just knew that the Easter Rabbit would go hopping through my garden. I even thought that I glimpsed him once, and when I told my mum, she looked sad (I realise now that she regretted not having told those little white lies.)

kayne	02 Jun 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Kiama Okay, I want Christmas NOW!!!! Often, in Australia, people celebrate "Christmas in July" on the 25th. Mostly people from the Northern Hemisphere who are used to a cold, wintery Christmas... Perhaps that would be a good theme for my house warming party soon....

Kiama	02 Jun 2002
Thanks to Moonklad, I am inspired to ask another question... Do you think we shoul, effectively, be lying to our children by telling them Santa is real? Or should we let them grow up knowing there is no such jolly red man? What do you think? Personally, I am not sure... When you're young, and if you're not devoutly Christian*, Christmas is all about the presents... Santa is THE seasonal icon, and, if we are to believe his rules for presents, kids behave much better! :P Kiama *Has anyone seen the Eddie Izzard sketch where he's talking about Easter? He does a hilarious bit in there about hildren's view of Easter... He impersonates a Father, givng his kids their choclate eggs, then saying to them: "Just remember kids, Jesus died on the cross for you." And the kids are there stuffing their faces with choclate saying : "Yes Dad... Just... Giev us more chocolate! If we agree with you, will you give us more chocolate?" I just found this very funny...

wavebreaker	02 Jun 2002
I don't think there's anything wrong with letting children believe in Santa Claus. It's different here in the Netherlands anyway, because we have Saint Nicholas (Sinterklaas) on 5 December, which is the children's feast, when they get presents, and the little children believe that Saint Nicholas is real. Christmas is more for adults; in a lot of families, the children will get their presents on 5 December and the adults will buy each other presents for Christmas. I'm not a big fan of Christmas myself. I just don't like the way people are suddenly being friendly to each other and talking about "peace on earth" for just two days, and then, when Christmas is over, they start hating each other again and fighting... It would be nice if they could try and keep that "Christmas spirit" up for the rest of the year as well...

The Do you still believe? thread was originally posted on 31 May 2002 in the Chat board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Chat, or read more archived threads.