What age

[Chris_]

It's no 'Big' (and Wil Ferrel is definitely no Tom Hanks).

[NHSparky]

and the gifts marked "from Santa" had my mother's handwriting on it.

I think that was pretty much the tipper for me...that and me hearing my dad trying to put together my sister's bike and going, "Ho, ho, ho--**** you too!"

[Godot showed up]

I still believe in Santa.

It's the tooth fairey that I have my doubts about.

What the hell does she do with all those teeth?

[njpines]

I think that was pretty much the tipper for me...that and me hearing my dad trying to put together my sister's bike and going, "Ho, ho, ho--**** you too!"

Ha, ha, ha -- I love these stories! 

My mom would print on the tags in capital letters as a 'disguise' because, obviously, I would never recognize the handwriting then! 

I tried writing with my left hand on my son's tags years ago when he was small and was very successful in disguising my normal handwriting.  Unfortunately, it also no longer resembled writing at all and looked like a dyslexic epileptic in a straitjacket trying to write with their toes. 

[LC EFA]

What the hell does he do with all those teeth?

FIFY 

[ConservativeMobster]

Gosh, I have only happy memories of believing and feeling disappointed when I learned the truth.  Can't even recall the tipper, probably school chums.  None of the gifts were ever wrapped.  Us kids were awakened before daylight and told to stand in the hallway until the folks made sure the coast was clear.  After perking the coffee and making us wait about 15 minutes we were led to the livingroom by both parents where each of us 3 kids had our little corner with our gifts from Santa set out in a wonderful display.  I know for certain I was still enjoying this ritual at the age of 9.

Now I'm depressed 

[IassaFTots]

Gosh, I have only happy memories of believing and feeling disappointed when I learned the truth.  Can't even recall the tipper, probably school chums.  None of the gifts were ever wrapped.  Us kids were awakened before daylight and told to stand in the hallway until the folks made sure the coast was clear.  After perking the coffee and making us wait about 15 minutes we were led to the livingroom by both parents where each of us 3 kids had our little corner with our gifts from Santa set out in a wonderful display.  I know for certain I was still enjoying this ritual at the age of 9.

Now I'm depressed 

My Mom had a rule, that we couldn't even peek at anything till she had coffee and a smoke.  First thing I ever did in the kitchen was learn to make coffee.  We would bring coffee, and an ashtray and cigarette to her bed.   

[Eupher]

Ha, ha, ha -- I love these stories! 

I tried writing with my left hand on my son's tags years ago when he was small and was very successful in disguising my normal handwriting.  Unfortunately, it also no longer resembled writing at all and looked like a dyslexic epileptic in a straitjacket trying to write with their toes. 

Now THAT'S some seriously bad handwriting. It would be even worse if the dyslexic epileptic drooled and a fountain pen was being used.

[Eupher]

Gosh, I have only happy memories of believing and feeling disappointed when I learned the truth.  Can't even recall the tipper, probably school chums.  None of the gifts were ever wrapped.  Us kids were awakened before daylight and told to stand in the hallway until the folks made sure the coast was clear.  After perking the coffee and making us wait about 15 minutes we were led to the livingroom by both parents where each of us 3 kids had our little corner with our gifts from Santa set out in a wonderful display.  I know for certain I was still enjoying this ritual at the age of 9.

Now I'm depressed 

If you're depressed now, just wait till January when the credit card bills start rolling in. You'll be looking for veins to slit.

[debk]

As a teenager, I was a "Master Snooper" and perfected rewrapping presents. Can't remember anything my stepmother bought me that I really liked, and I learned to snoop so that I could fake enthusiasm...so my dad wouldn't get mad.

The last time I "snooped" anything, was the first year that I was married. My ex bought me a gorgeous blazer that I had talked about and talked about. I was so excited that he got it, because we really couldn't afford it.

I got caught snooping. Tried to cover up by telling him how excited I was that he got it for me and kept telling him that I was sorry that I snooped. Didn't work. He took it back.  I never snooped again.

   

[Airwolf]

I knew the Santa horseshit was bogus from the get-go.

We didn't have a freakin' chimney for him to slide down on, my mother couldn't bake a cookie if her life depended on it, and the gifts marked "from Santa" had my mother's handwriting on it. I never saw any ******* hoofprints and sleigh markings on the roof, and I ESPECIALLY knew it was bogus because none of the reindeer EVER took a dump on the roof.

Besides, everybody knows that those elves are lazy bastards anyway and their friggin' elf union never would've approved that kind of a contract anyway - being responsible for making all those toys for all those kids around the world.  

That announcement from NORAD was bogus too - "Sighting from a sleigh emanating from the North Pole..., yadda yadda yadda."

I was a cynical kid, especially about no-brainer stuff like Santa Claus.

"Gonna make a list, naughty or nice..."

Yeah, right. Lemme hit the snooze button on this one.    

I bet you got lots of invites to the Christmas parties,LOL. Anyway I found out when I was about 7 or 8. I found presents in the closet long before the day was going to happen

[Boudicca]

Reminds me of how my Dad used to wrap gifts. He'd stick 'em in a paper bag and hand 'em to you. Now THAT's the way it should be done! 

I TOTALLY suck at wrapping presents.  Once the kiddos figured out there was no Santa (Aimee at age 5 and Scott right afterwards since she didn't keep her yap shut-poor 3 year old already disillusioned!) they KNEW when Mom had wrapped a gift.
I actually take a perverse pride in being the worst gift wrapper evah.  Damn if the Army Wives' Club didn't totally regret roping me in to wrapping Christmas gifts for a fundraiser.

Anyway, these days all my gift wrapping is delegated.  I WAS an officer after all.

Kudos to your Dad for his "presentation".

[Boudicca]

My Mom had a rule, that we couldn't even peek at anything till she had coffee and a smoke.  First thing I ever did in the kitchen was learn to make coffee.  We would bring coffee, and an ashtray and cigarette to her bed.   

Your Mom was a mom after my own heart.
Except for me, there was no ciggie involved.  Otherwise, get outta my way until the first cup of joe.  Including Christmas morning.
My husband was much more cruel to the kiddies.  He'd lounge around in bed and basically taunt them with not getting up yet.
That's when they really YELLED.  Haha, good lungs inherited from Moi.

[Boudicca]

I think that was pretty much the tipper for me...that and me hearing my dad trying to put together my sister's bike and going, "Ho, ho, ho--**** you too!"

HI5 for the horselaugh you elicited from me with that remark.
Not to be confused with the illict drugs most of Skin's Isle of Misfit Toys, er, People, consume.

[Boudicca]

What the hell does she do with all those teeth?

DADT!!!!!

Gawd, the images you just evoked with that comment.

[Boudicca]

As a teenager, I was a "Master Snooper" and perfected rewrapping presents. Can't remember anything my stepmother bought me that I really liked, and I learned to snoop so that I could fake enthusiasm...so my dad wouldn't get mad.

The last time I "snooped" anything, was the first year that I was married. My ex bought me a gorgeous blazer that I had talked about and talked about. I was so excited that he got it, because we really couldn't afford it.

I got caught snooping. Tried to cover up by telling him how excited I was that he got it for me and kept telling him that I was sorry that I snooped. Didn't work. He took it back.  I never snooped again.

   

Crap, deb, that seriously sux.  Hopefully you went right back out and bought the blazer.
The year of Christmas right after I had turned 35 (17 years ago, alright) DH brought inside a huge box on Christmas Eve.  It was my present.  Since I'd never had a microwave and had been hinting strongly for one, I made the mistake of exclaiming, oh my gawd you bought me a microwave.  Dayum, DH is an easygoing dude but he was majorly pissed.  Stomped out of our quarters (we lived four floors up in an American military housing unit in Germany then)-and disappeared for several hours.  Came home, not a peep from him, and next morning of course the microwave was there, but also a remote control to what turned out to be my first ever CD player.

I have NEVAH guessed at what he has bought me to this day.

[franksolich]

The last time I "snooped" anything, was the first year that I was married. My ex bought me a gorgeous blazer that I had talked about and talked about. I was so excited that he got it, because we really couldn't afford it.

I got caught snooping. Tried to cover up by telling him how excited I was that he got it for me and kept telling him that I was sorry that I snooped. Didn't work. He took it back.

Now, that is deplorable.  That is despicable.

True, it was wrong of you to snoop.

But it was even more wrong of him to refuse to give it to you, knowing how much it meant to you.

It's like he was treating you like a child.

Any man who treats his wife that way needs to be taken out and strung up.

[franksolich]

By the way, for the record, franksolich grew up with debk's ex-husband.  In real life.

I am speechless that he would be that way.

[littlelamb]

I was 8 when I found out and my cousin broke the news to my younger sister first and added while we are talking about it there is no Easter Bunny and your mom is the tooth fairy as well. He did this the day my dad had to go back to Korea to finish his hardship tour.

[ConservativeMobster]

If you're depressed now, just wait till January when the credit card bills start rolling in. You'll be looking for veins to slit.

Been there, done that...never again.  I tell my children who are now adults that we only celebrate with the "reason for the season". So far so good 

Now the grands are a whole 'nother story.

[debk]

By the way, for the record, franksolich grew up with debk's ex-husband.  In real life.

I am speechless that he would be that way.

So was I.

He has become much more like his mother, the older he gets. I KNOW that you remember her!!

You would not believe the "head" games he has played towards the kids.

(you might want to read the Elizabeth Edwards thread, if you haven't already... )

[franksolich]

So was I.

He has become much more like his mother, the older he gets. I KNOW that you remember her!!

You would not believe the "head" games he has played towards the kids.

(you might want to read the Elizabeth Edwards thread, if you haven't already... )

Granted, the ex was a few years older than me, and I was better acquainted with his younger brother.

To me, he always appeared somewhat, uh, aloof, but I never considered him a guy with no class.

I guess one has to be married to see it.

Damn.

That was childish on his part.

[MrsSmith]

There is a Santa.  He isn't a fat man in a red suit, but He can travel all over the world instantly and brought us the greatest gift ever.  And that's what I tell my kids.

My Mom was raised Catholic, in Austria, and "Santa" was KristKindle - The Christ Child.  We wrote letters to Santa and put them in our windows for the angels to collect, and if we were bad, there was always some angel looking in the window just then...so we tried to be REALLY good. 

My Dad and Grandfather would "go out to check the cattle" on Christmas Eve...just like Dad did every night, all winter.  It took them seriously forever to get back, something about the animals being shy because they were talking, of course.  Then Dad would burst in and say he was sure he'd seen Santa on our roof as he was walking into my Great-Grandparents' house, and we were allowed to go find all our presents under our tree.

It was great!!  We still miss those Christmas Eves and wish we could recreate them for our kids...


I know my older kids decided there was no Santa at some point growing up...but weird things kept happening that made them at least think.  A couple years, gifts showed up in our locked house while we were gone, and all the doors were still locked.  Even when they knew I was flat broke, there was at least one family gift from Santa, something we really 'needed' like a VCR.  One year, there was even a gift for me because I needed a winter coat.  (  ) 

But the really big year was the year my most-doubtful found a heavy brass sleighbell in our front yard.  We still have that bell, and it's no cheap little thing.  I bet a horse could step on it without breaking it...and it was in the yard right where it would have fallen if Santa had been on the front porch.  There was no Christmas parade in our town, and no reason for anything like that to show up at our house.  (I most certainly had nothing to do with it!!)  After that, they all had to wonder...

[ConservativeMobster]

Nice stories MrsSmith.  Tis the season, no matter how young or old we are.  Thanks for sharing 

[PatriotGame]

How old were you when you found out there wasn't a Santa?

Seriously?

Are you a communist????