father christmas

I was Santa for my four-year old's school, but despite my best efforts, he saw trhough the costume (as did his best friend, who came out with "Santa looks just like Alex's Dad...")

He now thinks
- When you wear the costuem, you're not pretending to be Santa, you ARE Santa.

- Becuase the real Snata was too busy to come to the party, but Dad took a day off work, then Dad is better than Santa, who is now some absentee, workaholic father figure... Yes, i turned Santa in to my Dad in a brand new way...

Pete Darby

When i was about 5 the old man that lived behind our terrace of houses dressed up like santa and had all the parents get the kids to look out the window at the same time so we all saw santa run accross the garden. I've never tried to fall asleep as quickly since.

Anon

My parents told me and my sister that in the month before Christmas fairies were sent to live in the house to make sure we were being good, ensuring our good behaviour for a whole month. It was a different fairy each year, like fairy snowflake, fairy holly etc. We put out Ribena and biscuit crumbs in our dolls house tea set and the fairy in residence would always eat it! My parents were finally rumbled when the fire fairy was in residence. My mum said she had long red hair as one might expect but upon independantly interviewing my Dad he said she had short red hair (which lets face it would be more practical if you're dealing with fire all day). My sister and I smelt a rat and I'm afraid after that it was curtains for Father Christmas as well.

Claire

i used to think that santa was real every night i would leave food and drink out in the morning it was not there.one year i made a mark in the carrot to see if my parants had put it back, because they do not eat raw carrots. i checked the carrot basket in the morning and it was there that proved he was not real.

emma hann

i used to belive in santa claus every boxing day i would write a letter to thank him. but i head my parents saying they would tell me santa is not real

Anon

I came from a poor family but, nonetheless, my parents always made sure I got a toy for Christmas. My father would bring me to see Santa and tell me that Santa didn't like it when you asked for too many things because if he gives you all those things there wouldn't be enough toys left to give to the other kids.
When I sat on Santa's lap, he would ask me what I wanted and I would say only one thing. I had to think really hard about the one thing I wanted. No matter how many times Santa would ask me, "and what else, little girl, would you like Santa to bring?" I would only tell him one thing.

Angela

I used to believe that Father Christmas's elves would come and tickle your toes at night if you where naughty.

yvonne

I used to believe Santa stopped his sleigh on the roof, and then came through the sliding door (2nd level) that we left open for him because we didn't have a chimney. Then when I was six, some of my mates and I were talking in class and one of them said that Santa didn't exist. Straight away everything clicked. I never told my parents, realising that they had as much fun pretending to believe in Santa as I did. I'm now 18 and although my older sister has admitted to being a non-believer, my parents and I have a silent agreement to keep him going... At least until I move out for good.

Anyway, the older I get the more I want to believe...

sparky

i used to belive that if you left the fire burning in the fireplace santa come in through the doggy door, when my parents got seprated i didn't have either so i cut a hole in the screen outside my window, needless to say we didn't get our"'tenant insurance"

DUH!

i used to believe in santa. so i would believe that if you ate an extra cookie or something santa would not come, and he would tell everyone what a bad kid you were. i would also believe that he would not give you anything anymore

Carolyn Ransom

My little girl is 4 years old and we have just written a letter to Mrs & Mr Santa Claus, lol, she believes in Mrs Santa more so for some reason, its magical to see the wonder in her eyes, (I stopped believing many many years ago), but this brings it all back and now I wait to hear the bells and the jingling once again, its fantastic. Merry Christmas to you all xx

Wisha

When i was about 4 and my sister was 3, we refused to go to bed on Christmas Eve. So, on this paticular Christmas Eve, My sister and I were in our room and our mother was trying to put us to bed. She said that if we were awake, Santa wouldn't come. At that moment, we heard bells and footsteps on the roof. She told us that Santa stopped by to check on us and he would only come back when we fell asleep. We did right away. Little did we know that our father had climbed to the roof to trick us into going to sleep.

Kerri

When I was little, I belived that Santa would bring me presents. I belived this up until grade five because that year we were low on money and I was sure there was no way we would have christmas. However, when I went upstairs chirstmas morning, I found enough presents for myself and my whole family. I couldn't belive that the stockings were full and the tree had more than one present for each of us. I belived for another six months because of that. Then my parents told me that they had set money aside all year in order to have some for christmas.

I still prefer my version where Santa saved the day.

Kayle