I Used To Believe newsletter: December 2003
hi,
santa claus seems to be really confusing for kids - is he your dad or the guy from UPS? and exactly how does he get into your house? we present the i used to believe guide to christmas...
happy holidays,
mat.
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Until I met my husband in my mid-twenties I didn't know that reindeer were real animals. I thought they were part of the "magic" of Christmas. My husband delights in telling this to everyone we know, including total strangers.
Elly
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I used to believe that Santa would eat the cookies and drink the milk. When i heard noises i went to the kitchen, my dad didn't hear me but i found my dad eating the cookies and drinking the milk, I thought he was stealing from Santa. I didn't talk to him for about a week because i thought that we didn't get as many presents that year because my dad ate Santa's food.
Matt
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The priest came to visit our school near Christmas when I was four, and he said 'does anybody know whose birthday it is on 25th December?' I put my hand straight up and yelled 'Mine!' He said no, and asked someone else, who said Jesus. I never wanted anything to do with Jesus after that because he'd stolen my birthday.
Anon
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My grandmother always told me that pigeons were 'Father Christmas' birds who went back and told him everything you did (this was after a expressed my scepticism that Santa could really know all that stuff). Also, when I was really little and was getting excited about Christmas, my mother told me that it wasn't the next day but the one after. Then, when there were presents under the tree the next day, she would admit that she must have been wrong. It's almost embarrasing how long I believed that and how often I fell for it.
KB
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During my mom's childhood, they told her that if she wasn't sleep by the time Santa came, he would put pepper in her eyes. She was terrified of Santa Claus.
Anon
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At the age of eight or so I found out that Santa didn't really come down the chimney and leave behind presents, but I refused to believe that he didn't actually exist; instead I insisted that he had a remote control that he used to make my parents buy me toys at the right time of year, because he was so old that he was probably retired anyway, and besides, my parents would NEVER buy me toys on their own...
bubukaba
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When i lived in Texas I believed the UPS guys were Santa Claus.
Lauren
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I was told that for every christmas carol I sang before christmas time, Santa would give me one less present!
K
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I believed Santa Claus had handwriting that looked really like my dad's... year after year i'd point out how similar they were to him.
Seaneeboy
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When I was little I knew (everyone knew) that Santa was fat. So I always thought that he couldnt fit down the chimney. So I used to think he had a secret key to everyone's house and came thruogh the front door with the reindeer in the driveway. I got scared because I thought he would just randomly come over because he had a key.
Alexxandria
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I used to believe that Goria en Exelcis Deo (the carol) was actually Gloria in A Shell Station. I was always fairly confused as to why, during Christmas Mass, we sang about my Aunt Gloria getting gas. I would sing the lyrics quite loudly in church.
Mike.
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I was certain chocolate oranges had been banned, which is why I got scared of the advert and the fact I was recieving them as Christmas presents, very worrying for a small child. Of course, it turns out, it was the Clockwork Orange which was banned (and it wasn't even banned after all that...)
flamingkitties
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At christmas, we always make a little buffet with crackers and spreads and sarnies. Stuff like that. But my nan would never eat brussels pate. We thought she just didn't like it until the day came when she said "how can you eat a pate made from sprouts?"
The Game
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I used to believe, because of my Uncle telling me this was so, that Minces (as in Mince Meat Pies) were animals that could only be killed with guns, but that it was really, really hard to get them because they were so small and they were so valued for their sweet meat that we only ate them at Christmas.
Jude Horrocks
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When I was little, I used to think whenever it snowed, it would be Christmas.
TropicalSmoothie
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I always thought that Jesus must really be special because he grew to be a man in only 5 months (Christmas to Easter).
Liz
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i always thought the signs on the roads that said "EMERGENCY STOPPING ONLY" said "EMERGENCY SHOPPING ONLY" and i thought that if it were christmas eve and you haven't bought any gifts yet you could shop there and there was a mall or something near by.
Erin
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When I was a child, I heard the word "boughs" in "Deck The Halls With Boughs Of Holly" as "bowels" instead, and this was curious to me. At that time I'd never met anyone named Holly. Later, the first time I met a girl named Holly, I would associate her for the longest time with a vision of her decorating the halls at her house for Christmas with her poop.
Bruce
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my little brother decided he wanted a budgie for christmas, my mum and dad weren't so keen on this and decided to get him a goldfish instead. After seeing the fish my brother was estatic, we asked him what he was going to call the fish, he told us he world call it budgie. It turned out he didn't really know what a budgie was he just liked the sound of the name so mum and dad got away with and my brother continued to believe all fish were in fact budgies.
eeeks
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I used to believe that Christmas happened every once in a while because people decided to put up lights.I never connected it with years or anything.
Erica
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