Recently, I asked my daughter when she was going to write her Dear Santa letter. This is one of those moments you wish a hidden camera was around to record the moment. The look my daughter gave me was priceless. Her head quickly turned to me a “la Linda Blair in The Exorcist,” squinting her eyes skeptically and gave me a “Are you kidding me, I don’t believe in Santa anymore” look.
But I kept on going with the conversation and ignored her look, “Yes, when are you going to get around to it, Santa needs to know what you want for Christmas.”
“Really??” she responded playing along with me, shaking her head.
Until I asked her about the Dear Santa letter, I wasn’t sure if she still actually believed in old Saint Nick but her face said it all.
Her friends over the last couple of years have been quite direct in their Santa doesn’t exist comments. Over the last couple of years, she has been told, “I don’t believe in Christmas,” “My dad is Santa“, you get the idea. I somewhat thought she would confront me about this very important question instead, I have to explain why there is war in the Middle East (for the record, I don’t even try, no 9 year old has that kind of time.)
As we walked, she asked me “Don’t you have last year’s Dear Santa letter, there was a whole bunch of things I did not get? Good Grief, I remember that letter, it was two pages long, a Dear Santa Letter to end all Dear Santa Letters, a letter even a billionaire would balk at.
“I don’t remember where I put it but I have a photo of it somewhere on my computer.”
“Well, do you have the American Girl catalog, because there a few things I saw that I wanted.”
Now there is a question that strikes fear in the hearts of parents throughout the land. Yes, I love American Girl but the catalog in the hands of an American Girl fan before Christmas is scary.
“No, I threw it out.” This was not calculated, I just thought she would not be interested. Wrong.
Now, I am sure you are wondering why I would just not have told her that Santa is me but my daughter is 9 years old, six months away from turning double digits. This will definitely be the last year she “believes” in Santa.
In my mind, the chapter on being a “child” is over and she is now officially a “tween,” soon to be a middle schooler.
As a single parent whose family doesn’t live in the area, I like creating holiday traditions my daughter will remember long into adulthood. I like having to do all my crazy Christmas traditions; putting up a fake fireplace (stop laughing,) leaving milk and cookies for Santa, tracking snow into my apartment (hilarious, right), hiding the gifts in my small one bedroom and staying up late putting things together and cursing long into the night.
For just one more year, I selfishly want to hold onto her childhood and her belief in Santa.
When did your child find out Santa wasn’t real?
I love the idea that you’re keeping a special tradition between you and your daughter. I still believe in Santa and had gifts from him until I was 25. My parents did it every year until they passed. It was our special tradition. Wishing you a very Merry Christmas!
Ironically, my kids never beleived in Santa until last year when they were 6 and 7! go figure!! They start to believe just in time to STOP believing. Lol. We just never really pushed the idea of Santa; but when they showed interest I totaly pounced on it. And we had so much fun doing all the Santa stuff. I hope they continue to believe for a few more years at least. It is really fun doing those traditions with the kids.
My oldest was 4 when she figured out (on her own, much to my disappointment) that Santa wasn’t “real”. She started asking questions about the Tooth Fairy, and then the Easter Bunny, and it kind of spiraled out of control from there. I didn’t tell her they weren’t real, but she just found it too unbelievable.
My middle daughter, though, still wants to believe… even though she knows the “truth”. I say that in quotes because I still believe! 🙂
My youngest is 6 and she still kinda-sorta believes. Either way I told them all that Santa isn’t rich and the American Girl Dolls are outtttttttt of the question lol.
It’s great your letting your daughter experience the magic one last year. As the child of a single mom I know how hard it must be for you! I think I stopped believing around that age as well.