I told my 5-year-old son he was not real but a fun game people play. I asked if he wanted to play too. He said no. I told him not to ruin the game for others by saying he’s not real. He agreed.

It would have been right around my ninth birthday. I was getting an Atari XE game system, which I knew because we had an unfinished room that was just used as an attic, and my occasional snooping among the old shit we had stashed there — including, for some reason, a small plow that would be a coin flip between decor-only and usable vegetable-garden implement — was the entire stash of presents my parents had clearly overextended themselves for. At that age, my final excuse for believing was that they would never get us that many presents since they were extremely price sensitive all year.

My brother is seven years older than me and caught me coming out. He threatened to tell our parents, so I kicked him in the nuts and ran away.

I am a Jew, so growing up I thought Santa was just some kinda Christmas mascot. When I got to kindergarten is when I realized that kids are just bonkers for Santa. I had a very polite kindergarten teacher tell me that it's a huge faux pas to tell kids Santa isn't real after I really upset another kid, so I just kept that lil secret to myself. Unless someone was being a bully. Then I weaponized it.

I, uh, won't be telling my kids Santa is real. 😅 Buuut I'll also make it clear they aren't to ruin things for the other children. Let them have their fun.

I don't have any memories of ever believing it. I think my parents just told me he wasn't real.

The kids recently presented evidence supporting their deduction that I am the tooth fairy. Santa can’t be far behind.

I think I was about 10? When we found out santa wasn't real was like finding out there was a backstage. And fight club rules applied.

It meant we were now part of the fun little spy operation keeping the show going for my younger siblings and relatives to enjoy. Keeping an ear out for gift ideas, getting to stay up late to wrap stuff, help put presents under the tree etc

And when they inevitably found out we brought them in the fold. Believing in Santa to BEING Santa and by extension the joy of recieving becoming the joy of giving

From earliest memories until about ten maybe nine. Forget the exact year.

No kids not going to have them. If I did I'd let them enjoy Santa. When they figure it out... Well they figure it out. Let them enjoy their childhood.