So many people have had really bad experiences with finding out the truth about Santa.Here are a couple of them....BUT you can still do Santa traditions at Christmas AND keep the magic without your kids believing that Santa is real.
In my family growing up, Christmas was a big deal. All of my aunts and uncles lived near my grandparents, and each year we would gather at their home on Christmas Eve.
After dinner and the Nativity reenactment, all the grandchildren would head upstairs to the attic. The children were told Santa won’t come until they’re all asleep. Once they turned 18, they could stay awake to help Santa unload the sleigh.
This was my favorite part of Christmas – envisioning my parents, aunts, uncles, and older cousins helping Santa bring in the gifts. Each birthday, I was one year closer to getting to actually meet Santa!
When I reached middle school, I would still insist that Santa was real. After all, my family had met him! I got beat up several times about it, so I eventually learned to keep my mouth closed. Everyone assumed that I had stopped believing; no one actually sat down to explain it to me.
Finally, the year arrived. I was 18, and I was going to meet Santa!
After my younger cousins went upstairs, we all sat around telling stories and laughing. I was on the edge of my seat, listening for sleigh bells.