father christmas

When I was 7 or 8 years old, I was riding with my parents along a street in our small town. Lo and behold, there was Santa walking with a bag of goodies! My dad pulled the car alongside, and Santa jovially wished us "Merry Christmas" and presented me with a Hershey bar. I was agog that, first of all, we'd encountered Santa during a casual Saturday afternoon outing and, secondly, that my parents obviously were well acquainted with him, as they chatted in a most familiar manner. As we pulled away, I commented that Santa had been wearing a ring "just like Uncle Elmer's!" "Are you sure?" my mother said doubtfully, throwing me off the scent. It wasn't until a few years later I realized I'd been had! 

Betsy 

when i was little i used to believe that on christmas eve if u wernt a sleep by 9:00 and santa caught u he wouldnt leave u any presents so the night before i got my moms sleeping pills and swollowed them on christmas eve. a week later my mom asked me if i knew where they were so when i got to my room i through them out the window!

pandamanda

My family has lived for years on an old country road a fair ways out of town. For the past few years, an old man (who happens to be the father of a friend of mine) has driving down this street, slow as possible, in a large red Ford half ton. He's a spitting image of your average Hollywood Santa. Plump man, big long white beard, slightly balding, jovial looking. He would wave at everyone he saw. My Mom's friend's daughter, who is 6, was misbehaving once when they were visiting, and "Santa" drove by. We informed her that he was checking up on everyone, and that if she didn't smarten up, all we had to do was leave a note in the window so when he drove back, he would know she was being bad. Scared her straight.

Since then, "Santa" has passed away. Mind you, she still behaves well when she visits...

Veshka

My grandfather used to tell me that he could call Santa Clause up and tell him I was being bad and then Santa wouldn't leave me any presents. I was skeptical but sort of believed him because he would pick up the phone and talk to "Santa".

Kimberly

as a little boy my father told me that Santa was tired of cookies and milk so I used to leave beer and salami sandwiches. I got wise when one christmas morining I discovered 3 empties when I had left only 1. I was 25 at the time.

larry

When I was little, I used to believe in Santa Claus. Every christmas, I usually go to the kitchen to see if the cookies and milk was gone. My parents always leave them on the table the day before Christmas, so they told me that Santa Claus will come to eat them and I believed them. When I woke up at Christmas Day, I went to the kitchen to find the cookies and milk gone.

Anon

i thoght that that santa claus was real ;_;...

gaby

Charlotte-Rose's dad (see below) must have been quite picky, carving up the 'reindeer' carrots with a vegie peeler. As far as I know, my parents actually chewed on them!

They also used to write thankyou notes from Santa, for all the nice food and drink. As I got older, I wondered why the handwriting looked a lot like my dad's.

Mel

When I went to see a mall Santa Claus my mom would always go up to the guy and talk to him right before I had my turn at talking to him. After my visit I'd ask her what she said to him and she said she was just saying hello. Then my mom would take me up there and stand a few yards away while he talked to me. I always thought it was the real Santa because some how he knew my name and what I wanted for Christmas, just like the real Santa would. I finally thought about it years after I quit going to see Santa and figured out what my mom was really telling him. (My name, what I wanted, etc.)

Lee

One day my older cousins told me Santa was racist because he never visited the home of any little black kids in the books and movies. So I didn't like him and didn't want him in our house.

Anon

My daughter was about 9 years old and none of her friends believed in Santa any more. Well, she was a believer and I wasn't going to let her friends ruin it. As they sat in the back of my car one day, one of them said "you know, not everyone believes in Santa Claus". I responded by roaring "WE BELIEVE IN SANTA - AND IF YOU DON'T BELIEVE HE WONT COME TO YOUR HOUSE"! (I scared the you know what out of this little girl!). Anyway, after an uncomfortable pause, my daughter looked at the other girl and said "yeah, you gotta be stupid not to believe in Santa". She's 14 and to this day has never admitted that she doesn't believe.

Mean Mom

As Christmas approached, whenever I misbehaved, my Mom used to pick up the phone to call Santa and rat me out that I belonged on the "naughty list." I'd beg and plead for her not to make that call, and it always straightened me out for at least a few days.

RT, Sutter Creek, CA

I used to believe that Santa Claus was real and that if I were a good a girl I would have plenty of gifts at Xtsmas time

Gaelle

Since our house didn't have a chimney, I though that Santa Claus came in through our basement. It had a door to the outside, I figured he came through that. Why he just didn't use the front door, I'll never know!

Maggie, NJ

I once left my autograph book out for Santa to sign. On Christmas Day I looked in it to find I had his autograph!! Wonder if it was really my mum...?

Redmaiden

WHEN I WAS 5 I WAS TOLD IF YOU ARE A BAD BOY OR GIRL (I LIVED IN GERMANY) THE GERMAN SANTA WOULD THROUGH YOU IN A BIG GUNNY SACK AND TAKE YOU AWAY AND NEVER BE HEARD FORM AGAIN. ONE CHRISTMAS A TEEN AGE BOY WAS DRAGGED OFF AND I RAN AND HID UNDER MY BED!

JEANETTE