Parents try to keep imagination preserved for as long as possible within their kids. People make up fairytales and myths to keep the adolescence within others. Parents tell these fantasies so well that they are almost believable but all stories have to come to an end. 

Discovering that Santa is not real is a monumental experience in many kids’ lives. When asked how they found out Santa was fake, the replies were unexpected. 

Many students never believed in Santa in the beginning. “He almost just felt like a symbol of Christmas, he didn’t have much significance to me,” said junior Abi Camp.

However, for other students finding the harsh reality was detrimental. “My parents let me stay home from school for a day or two so I could come to terms with my childhood dying,” said freshman Jack Hancy.

Finding the truth varies for each student; it is a different story for each grade. Senior Halle Gardner found out Santa wasn’t real through “Amazon when it was becoming a big thing.”

The common age for finding out Santa isn’t real “is 100% when you’re 9, but you kinda figured it out around like eight,” said Hancy.

Finding out about Santa leads too much more for students. “Once I found out Santa wasn’t real it led to the tooth fairy then the Easter Bunny,” said Camp.

Childhood does not end after finding out that imaginary figures aren’t real because for Camp she “felt like [her] parents babied [her] more.” 

Santa is not the biggest part about Christmas that created a shocker. Hancy found out that toys are not made in workshops and are made “through the dream killer… Amazon.”

The Christmas magic disappeared for Gardner once Santa became a symbol of gift giving. “It is important to do service but I always thought of Christmas as a movie and Santa is the main character,” said Gardner.

This idea of Santa being the main character does not only pertain to seniors. In fact Camp felt that Santa should just be scrapped  because “the pain [she] felt was too hard and [she] didn’t want others to come to the harsh reality.”

Although Santa is not real, the magic that he brings is not fake. He brings a gift giving spirit that illuminates the very gloomy winter weather. These fairy tales generate the importance of sharing and service is what these fairy tales do and create.