Tuesday 19 December 2017

Santa Claus.

What do you call Santa's Little Helpers?
Subordinate clauses!  (boom, boom)   A friend told me this earlier today - sorry but had to pass it on.

Another friend told of the little boy who asked his friend about the devil.   Was there really a devil?
'No', he replied.  'He's like Santa Claus - he's your Dad!'

It was our Strugglers meeting this morning, when a group  of us - nine this morning - meet for an hour and a half to talk quietly about anything which may be  worrying us, or anything we feel might be of interest to the group.

This morning we got talking about the amount of money which is spent on some children while there are other children around who have virtually nothing (desperate children who are refugees or live in countries torn apart by war for example).   The discussion eventually turned to talk about believing in Santa Claus.   We all had memories of believing but no-one could actually remember the time when they suddenly knew there was no such person (come on Tom - don't kid me you still believe and I have ruined it for you).   So I am asking you  - did we really believe in him and his magic or did we only half believe?

30 comments:

Rosie said...

I do remember being sure to leave a mince pie and sherry in case he needed sustenance, it was always gone in the morning!

Midmarsh John said...

For the life of me I cannot pinpoint a time when it went from presents 'magically' appearing at the end of my bed overnight to sharing them in person on Christmas Eve. Yes, our family always exchanged presents late on Christmas Eve.

Gwil W said...


Those Christmas jokes are a couple of crackers!

You might have started something. Move over Eric and Ernie.

jinxxxygirl said...

I think we WANTED to believe so we did.. I STILL want to believe don't you? I like to think we all have a little bit of Santa in us this time of year..

i can remember the exact moment i no longer believed... Before Christmas my mom had went shopping and i was old enough to stay at home alone for a short while.. and OFCOURSE i went snooping for presents... Didn't find a thing for my effort.. except... a little plastic candycane filled with candy... bummer.... Then Christmas Eve i had to get up and use the bathroom and went by where the Stockings we hung and wouldn't you know it that little plastic candy cane was in the stocking and we all KNOW Santa fills our stockings so then i knew for sure there was no Santa Claus.... :(Hugs! deb

Mac n' Janet said...

I really believed until my older sister told me the truth, I was sad.

Sue said...

I truly believed when I was a young child and we went to great lengths to convince our own girls. Sleigh skid marks on the lawn, jangling bells on the roof, soot marks up the stairs. Actually I think they still believe!

Rachel Phillips said...

I believed in Father Christmas unerringly. When I found out the truth I felt very silly.

Sewing mamie said...

As an only child I believed whole heartedly not having any older siblings to tell me any different. I love that my littlest granddaughter believes and is so excited about Santa coming x

Joanne Noragon said...

I cannot remember ever actually believing such a person existed. There were always presents, but the presents always were underwear and pajamas. I do remember, with my brothers, keeping up the charade for our little sister, and her devastation about age seven or eight, when my youngest brother broke her heart with the truth.

Rambler said...

I KNEW there was a Santa Claus because he always filled my pillow case which I'd left at the foot of my bed with all sorts of lovely presents - a giant Paint Box, a School Friend Annual, a book about horses, colouring pens, jigsaw puzzles, a board game, warm gloves and scarf, Poppit beads to make necklaces and bracelets, puzzles to solve, cards, a cuddly toy plus the regular tangerine, lump of coal and some shiny new pennies . . .
Then one year there was no pillowcase to put out and instead, prettily wrapped presents were lined up on the sideboard under thw Christmas tree, to be opened on Christmas morning.
I smiled and said thank you for the pretty nightgown, underskirt, slippers and 'Woman' magazine and the main present - a watch. But I knew then that there wasn't going to be any more visits from Santa - and cried in my bedroom as soon as I could leave the living room.

Kathie said...

I don't remember ever believing there was a "real" Santa Claus, but I always "hoped" there was...to me Santa was a feeling...not a physical being. I'm thinking the fact that my grandpa "played" Santa at public events (and I knew that) kept me from believing. He quit doing it when my sisters came along, so I enjoyed bringing Santa to life for them. I love the wonderment in children's faces during the holiday time, so still lead them to believe in Santa. I also believe in the Easter bunny and the tooth fairy, too. There's just not enough mystery in the world sometimes.

Jill said...

I believed with all my heart. And when I grew old enough to understand the truth I was ok with it. I have friends who as adults talk about how earth shattering it was to learn they had been lied to which I think is sad.

susie @ persimmon moon cottage said...

I once believed in Santa completely. One year it had snowed on Christmas Eve and on Christmas day I was out in the yard searching for reindeer tracks in the snow. I didn't find any, but decided that Santa and his reindeer had probably landed on the roof and I had no way of seeing if there were any tracks up there.

The following year, I think it was the following year, my Mom and I were shopping at a local small dime store. This was probably 1960 or so. As Mom and I shopped, here came Santa Claus walking down the aisle...and He was a She. This was not a normal happening in 1960. I didn't think that Santa could possibly be a woman, and that was when I started questioning the whole thing. I told my Mom that "that" Santa was a woman. I don't think my Mom or I said anymore about it. If I would have asked, Mom probably would have told me that the store Santa was just a helper. I may not have asked or said anything more, but that was when doubt about Santa was planted.

I believe in the spirit of Santa now, and seeing the joy and happiness that believing in Santa has brought to my children and now my grandson is reason enough for me to believe again, too.

liparifam said...

I absolutely believed. I can remember so vividly lying in bed and trying to stay awake on Christmas Eve so that I would hear Santa arrive! But I never could and so would wake very early and run to the living room to find the presents laid out under the tree and a full stocking :) I don't remember how I actually found out the truth - I have two older sisters, so one of them probably told me...

Bea said...

I remember the excitement of Christmas morning, but I don't remember if I knew without a doubt who or what brought the presents to our Xmas tree. I must have believed when I was very, very young, but when I stopped believing...I just don't remember. I suspect my older sibs had a hand in cluing me in to reality.

Amanda said...

I do not recall ever really believing in Santa. I do recall being surrounded by my older brothers and sisters being threatened with death if I ever let my parents know of my disbelief, because they believed that if I was found out, the supply of presents would dry up.

Cro Magnon said...

There was an article in the paper yesterday about some brat who'd given his parents a Christmas 'want list'. The items added up to over £5,000, and was mostly designer clothes. I really think he should be given just one apple!

What do you call someone who doesn't believe in Father Christmas? A rebel without a Claus!

AK Coldweather said...

I have very fond memories of Christmas when I was a child but have no memory of believing in Santa Claus. Not sure why.

My favorite kid joke: What did the fish say when it ran into the brick wall?
Answer: Dam.

Starting Over, Accepting Changes - Maybe said...

I remember believing till I was about seven when my older sister told me Santa was really our parents. That night, after going to bed, I got up and hid behind a partially closed door to see who put the gifts under the tree. I saw the truth that night but went back and told my sister that I had, indeed, seen the jolly old elf. I wasn’t going to let her be right.

Librarian said...

All my childhood, I believed in Santa, in the Christkind (which descends to the children on Earth on Christmas Eve to bring their presents, we are told in Germany when we are little), in fairies and ghosts. I believed in wardrobes leading to magic worlds, in secret tunnels and all sorts of stuff, and I loved it all.
Like most of the others here, I can not say when or how exactly that belief vanished; it was probably something gradual. But I remember one year, when I was already old enough to know for sure my presents were bought by our parents and grandparents, sneaking upstairs where I knew my Mum had been hiding our presents until it was time to wrap them nicely and put them under the tree.
I found the doll I had wanted, and while I was happy knowing I was going to get exactly what I had wished for, I was very unhappy on Christmas Eve, pretending I'd not known about it before and feigning surprise. Never again did I spy on our presents before the big day.

John "By Stargoose And Hanglands" said...

I clearly remember one year when I pretended to believe so that I didn't spoil the excitement for my little brother. Presumably before that year I must have believed in Santa too.

Jules said...

I can't remember the time when I suddenly didn't believe but I must have been very young. Much as I love the magic of Christmas I don't have any decorations or send cards with Santa on as I have a weird dislike of beards! X

Sarah said...

I believed and my children did too. When my children were quite young probably two and four we went to a Christmas party in the church hall and FC put in an appearance with presents for the children. Tom had already noted several FCs on our travels and was clearly perturbed and on the walk home he asked me where FC's sleigh and reindeers were. At that moment we were passing an old crumbly stone barn (since over-restored) and we stopped and listened. Yes, we definitely heard Rudolph et al munching on hay.

Yarrow said...

I remember believing in Santa but not exactly when I stopped. I think it was just a slow realisation and the fact that I'd been asking for a pony for years, but still only got dolls!
Wishing you a Christmas full of good things.xxx

Heather said...

I love both those Christmas jokes. I can't remember the Eureka moment when I knew that the stocking on the end of the bed was put there by my parents, but I think most children are canny enough to go along with the game for a while, probably for the sake of their parents! I know I still had a stocking long after I was old enough to know where it had come from. It was, and still is, part of the Christmas make-believe.

Tom Stephenson said...

I remember my sister (10 years older) marching up to me one Christmas, and because I was getting on her nerves, saying "Santa Claus doesn't exist. Now shut up."

Peter said...

I caught my mother dying Easter eggs and she admitted that there was no Easter bunny and I made the leap from there to no Santa Claus. I pretended to believe for several more years to keep the faith for my younger brother.
Peter

Maria said...

My brother once told me that he was Santa's helper; he would blackmail me into fetching things for him otherwise he would tell Santa not to bring gifts for me. Until one day my sister told me that he only helped my parent wrap the gifts.
Greetings Maria x

Theresa Y said...

Yep. I believed in Santa. I think I was about 10 years old when I caught on.

Virginia said...

The story is told in my family that when I was very young ... probably four .... the deal was you only sat on Santa’s knee in ONE department store. I was opportuned at a second store insistently, by a Santa, so finally sat on his knee, but when he asked me what I wanted I replied “I’ve told your brother.” According to legend I’d worked that bit out all by myself!

Our son believe in Santa for years, even buying the story that Santa had dropped a large digger outside the front door because it wouldn’t fit down the chimney!

We have a scheme over here where people can be linked in to provide a specific gift for a child in need, and the other day my niece who’s a policewoman put out a Facebook call for help for a family she had come across, and the response from our family and her friends was superb. Social media at its best.

Happy Christmas To you Pat, and to all your readers