How old were you when you found out that Santa isn't real?

9?

I never thought he was real. Always knew it was dad who was Ded Moroz (Father Frost, in Russia).

Santa isn’t real?!!!!!!!!? just kidding.
I still somewhat believe in him. I believe he is the spirit of saint Nick and brings presents to some kids, but not all. Some of the unlucky ones without any presents. Nothing you say or do will make me not believe! :)

Santa’s not real? <lip quivers, tears leak from eyes>

As early as I can remember Christmas celebrations, maybe about 5–6.

I don’t celebrate winter holidays.

@JilltheTooth no no no no wait! wait he is real, don’t believe what I said

please?

Welcome to Fluther!
I was about 7. I was disappointed. It took a while to learn to enjoy ‘being’ Santa Claus. My grown daughter told me recently that when she asked and i told her the truth, she didn’t believe me. (!) She knew Santa Claus was real. I was too stunned to think to ask her when she ‘did’ believe the truth.

<snipf>

I was nine and in third grade. We had a bulletin board with a Christmas scene decorating the room. One decoration of Santa lost Santa’s leg. A boy, Jeff Stallard, said, “That’s why Santa’s dead. His leg fell off.” I asked my mom that afternoon. She asked me not to spoil it for the younger kids. I have obeyed her since that day.

@Sunny2 thanks :) and the truth about Santa is still out there

@JilltheTooth don’t be saaaad don’t cryyyy

please?

35.
When he didn’t bring me hair dye for Xmas,I knew he wasn’t for real.

I still want to believe he is real!!! I am sure I heard sleigh bells last Christmas…

At about aged 6 though, I did see my dad bringing presents in and that sort of confirmed my suspicions. Apparently though I told my much older brother that while I knew it was dad, I was going to keep pretending because I knew my dad loved pretending Doddy Kippers was real. We used to call him Doddy Kippers because when I was really little, I couldn’t say Daddy Christmas. It sort of stuck in our family for a long time.

This question made me really laugh. I was raised in a reform Jewish household (we barely stayed Kosher), and I was the one in school who told all the young kids that there was no Santa. I still feel bad about that.

Ermmm… skews meh… but I happen to be one of Santa’s elves. I assure you he is very real in deed. We look forward to his yearly leave of absence. Me n’ the other fellas have a special arrangement with Mrs. Claus.

My parents told me from the beginning that he isn’t real, and that they were the ones who give me gifts. I was fine with it and didn’t hesitate to spread the word lol.

See that you just killed it for me, I still thought he was real at 42 years of age. Oh man what will I do now! Do you think I will still get presents under my tree?? hmmmmm….

I never believed in Santa.

My parents didn’t even celebrate Christmas, let alone tell me about Santa.

Quite old.

I remember feeling so betrayed when my mother told me he wasn’t actually real. I refused to talk to her for a long time, and called her a liar a lot when I got too frustrated to keep the silence up.

This is embarrassing. My parents never encouraged me to believe in Santa. So I never really believed when I was little.

But at about 8 or so, I finally got to stay up late to watch the 11 o’clock news on Christmas eve. One of the channels did a little thing where the weatherman would get surprised about strange activity on the Doppler radar. He would say there was an unusual object in the sky and then when you saw it, it was the shadow of a sleigh with reindeer.

OK, so I thought —they don’t lie on the NEWS! The NEWS is official. And Santa showed up on the official weather radar! So it must be true. My parents were just too stupid to know Santa was real. I told them this, and they said it was just a joke the weather guy did. They didn’t seem to understand that the NEWS was official and never had jokes in it. And the weather guy looked totally confused and astonished—as if he had no idea it was going to happen! Man, my parents were idiots!

The next year, the exact same weatherman looked just as surprised and stunned about the mysterious object in the sky.. I realized I was swindled.

I can’t wait until one day everyone answers this question, “Santa’s not real???!!??”

I have a better question. What age were you when you found out the Orange Tree was real?

@Bellatrix About 8 years ago, my husband and I were in northern California on Christmas eve. We were sitting cozily by a warm fire when I heard sleigh bells. I went to the door and looked out. There in the road was Santa Claus riding a white horse. He was escorted by two girls wearing old-fashioned green velvet dresses. It was magical. And real.

At four I had sneaking suspicions. At five I busted his fat ass.

If it’s true that there is no Santa, then I’d say 64.

I think I was 8? I never had santa because I was raised Jewish and we did not have Christmas in my house. One year the mom of a friend of mine called up to have my sister and I come down to her apartment because santa left stuff for us under their tree. I was so excited!

My parents never taught me about Santa. I was five when Christmas came around in my first year of school, and I had to ask my friends who this Santa was! Of course they weren’t too happy when I laughed at their ridiculous story….

I wasn’t raised with “Santa is fo’ real yo ”.

Later someone explained me the myth and it sounded cool but as a kid I had presents every year.

I was around 5yrs old & I woke early, too early on christmas morning. I saw my dad having a shit on the toilet with his jaunty red trousers around his ankles & his “santa” hat poised at a kinky angle. Twas never the same after that :¬(

I was about 7 – my older sisters told me. I was gutted. I thought ‘What else have the parents been lying to me about? That whole God thing sounds a bit suspicious too’. I was an atheist from that day forward.

I’ve told my kids that Santa is magic. I also tell them (at other times) that magic isn’t real. The older one worked it out and the little one will too someday, when she’s ready.

I can’t really remember because I chose to continue “believing” for a while after I realised that, chances are, Santa probably isn’t real!

Thank you all for your answers, they’re great

What?! He’s not real???

I think I was 10.

Christmas was a very magical time for me during my childhood, and I love my parents for those memories. I remember one Christmas evening when I heard bells outside my window and I quickly looked outside looking for Santa and his reindeer. It was my father making the noise of course, though I didn’t know it at the time.

My parents still have those tiny little bells attached to a red ribbon. They hang it on their front door every Christmas. It brings back such fond memories for me.

I remember finding a bell on the balcony. I thought it fell from Santa’s sleigh, and kept it for a long time, but then I found out that my mother had left it there.