Did you believe in Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, or the Easter Bunny? Do you still believe? If not, what age did you stop believing and why? (Inspired by Sparky on the question of the day.)
Apparently, the tooth fairy preferred I lose a tooth when I was over at my grandparents house, then she would give me a dollar. (Maybe it was a shorter fly?) Sometimes, she would even leave me a quarter, and then give some extra money to my grandma or aunt to give me. I never believed in the tooth fairy. I wonder why.
I never believed in the easter bunny, mostly because my mom never really tried to hide that fact from me.
I believed in Santa Claus until I was 5. It was my worst Christmas ever, and I still remember it. It was the Christmas after my mom and dad divourced, and she was dating a guy I absolutely hated. (I now think he abused her.) We were living in his house (probably for the free rent) and he just got a puppy that he really didn't discipline. (I hated the puppy too.) On the night befoer Christmas, the puppy pooped in my bed when I got up to go to the bathroom and chewed up a bunch of my toys. (My sister still has my one-handed Ken doll.) And then Santa didn't get me any of the toys I asked for. (I knew to ask for a couple different toys, and he would get me one of them.) My mom insisted that I had asked for the toy I got. I remembered talking to Santa in the mall, and I did not ask him for that toy. My little brain figured the details out pretty quick. Ever since that Christmas, aided by a couple other bad Christmas experiences later, I do not like Christmas. Bah humbug!
MZ, I am so sorry that happened for you. I had this very discussion with my 12 year old. She asked, again, if I believe in Santa. I always tell her yes, and I do.
Santa Claus is seeing the magic of Christmas through a childs eyes. It is the hope, the thought of peace and love within a family. I explained to her that Santa has help through parents, grandparents and others. But is there Santa--absolutely as long as the spirit of Christmas remains alive in your heart. He is a real as you allow him to be.
She looked at me and said, so is there a Santa? I told her she needs to decide for herself. She again asked if I believe. I truthfully said, "I Do". I know I get laughed at a lot, but those that laugh at me truly have lost the gift of Christmas. I hope you can rekindle yours with your husband and little sister.
I believed in all three until about age 6 or 7. The first to fall was Santa Claus. We celebrated on Christmas Eve, so Santa was a live appearance, but the kids had to be upstairs. My Uncle Phill always took the Santa duties and had a convincing "Ho ho, ho!". When he passed away, my Uncle Louie took over but had a very distict voice. That broke the illusion, but by that point my view was, "Do I still get toys? Cool!" The Tooth Fairy and Easter Bunny fell quickly after that.
(WARNING! WFTR RANT COMING!)
Mz! Do not give up on Christmas! Go back to the original story! Scrap the presents for a year if it helps hit the "reset" button! The Holiday is way too special to let this world ruin it for you. Watch that "Bah, Humbug!" stuff, look how things turned out for Scrooge!
For me I believed in Santa until I was about 5, my brother 2 years older told me there was no Santa, that he saw Mom puting the toys under the tree and drinking the milk.
I will try to preserve the feeling as long as I can for my daughter.
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Sometimes, when i'm lonely... i crawl into a laundry basket and tickle my ears. But, Some times I don't...
WFTR, I'm not Christian, so Christmas is just a commercial holiday for me anyway. The past couple years we have had a dinner a week before Christmas where I make a ham or turkey and we invite all of our friends over. And then we visit family. So I use that time of year to get closer to my friends and family without all the pomp and circumstance.
Just for snicks 'n grins, Mz, give the original story a look through. A lot of the hoopla will make more sense and you might actually find a tradition or two that you like! OK, I'm done pushing.
WARNING TO PARENTS! CP hit on this with the $20 bill thing. Kids are much smarter than you think, and they don't forget! Be ready to do a whole lot of explaining. Once Santa was a bust for our girls we lost the excuse for them not getting everything on their list because he decided how good they had been. We had to enter the reality of income vs. wants. And my youngest now comes down in the morning after a tooth loss and gives me the 3rd degree if I forget to slip a buck under the pillow. She knows it's us, but still likes the game. And yes, we started at a buck and have maintained a buck. It's tough because kids compare their payouts!
I'll never forget the day I found stuff I had left for the tooth fairy in my mom's dresser drawer. I put it all together at that point. Easter bunny, Santa, and tooth fairy. It was definitely a day of growing up.
CP - I know what you mean. The bell still rings for me in the Polar Express!
I don't remember too much about all these guys. I know you lose Santa easy because kids in school usually ruin it for others who still believe. I tell my nieces (5 & 1 1/2 years) that I believe in Santa. I tell my mom too. I turn to her and tell her I hope Santa bring me such and such for Christmas. I don't why I do it, I just do. I went through phases about Christmas. As a kid I enjoyed it. I mean what kid doesn't enjoy new toys - new clothes were okay. As we grew up through late grade school and through high school I began to hate Christmas and that was my father's doing. It became a painful holiday, actually most holidays became that way, even birthdays. I was so with Mz on that one, bah humbug. After my father passed, I slowly began to recapture the holidays. I guess it became even easier with my nieces being around. But it is still about the meaning of the holiday.
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Stop trying to be what you see. Be what you ought to be.
I'm not sure about santa claus or the tooth fairy, but the easter bunny does exist. me and that sona&(*&# go toe to toe each year, if only in my nightmares.
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"And like Web, I enjoy throwing JR under the bus. Problem is, it's usually under the special bus that I ride every day". Ghostdancer 12-18-09
Sometimes, she would even leave me a quarter, and then give some extra money to my grandma or aunt to give me. I never believed in the tooth fairy. I wonder why.
