Americans often teach their children to believe in Santa Claus, causing them to believe the pile of gifts they receive every Christmas morning is the work of a fictional man in a red suit. Needless to say, children only believe in Santa for so long. This is how people discovered the truth about Santa Claus.
Dylan Dohner, 23
“I got a huge Hot Wheels track when I was about 9, saw it as I walked into the room all set up already and working. My mom and stepdad said it was from Santa, and I was like, ‘neat.’ Then later I found a picture lying around. It was of my stepdad putting that same track together and smiling at the camera.”
Delores Penn, 20
“Well, I was pretty young, maybe 5. It was Christmas Eve and I woke up in the middle of the night. I could see both of my parents hauling in something that looked like a kitchen set. It was pink and green so I knew it was for me. On Christmas Day after seeing it, I told my mom and dad that it couldn’t have been from Santa because I saw them bring it in. My mom tried to say that they were helping Santa, but my dad just agreed with me and said, ‘Delores you’re right, Santa isn’t real, but Merry Christmas.’ My mom was ticked, but I wasn’t too upset because I still got all my presents.”
Hannah Shiveley, 19
“I believed in Santa until about the 5th grade. I actually didn’t find out directly, but I figured it out when I discovered the tooth fairy wasn’t real. I woke up in the middle of the night and felt parents slipping money under my pillow, but pretended to be asleep. So, when I found out the tooth fairy wasn’t real I just assumed the same thing about Santa.”
Monica Glick, 19
“I realized that the gifts from Santa and my parents had the same wrapping paper, I also questioned how Santa comes when we don’t have a chimney. Then my parents told me the truth which wasn’t a heartbreak.”
- M., 22
“When I was 7, it was Christmas Eve at 2 a.m. and I heard a noise. I went downstairs to ask my mom what was going on. I walk into the bedroom and I see Santa Claus and my mom getting it on. Next thing I know, Santa Claus rolled over, and it wasn’t Santa Claus. It was my dad. So later that night, I got the Santa Claus isn’t real talk along with the birds and the bees talk.”
