I know... when a child stops believing it can be tough... luckily my older children still play along for the younger ones...even going so far as to make out lists and ask Santa for things. They all still get a gift from him as well.

I have 7 adult children. I never told them anything about Santa. I stored presents in a large closet without a lock on it. My children, in their 30s now, still talk about how they never 'peaked'...Santa and his magic hold a place in my family's heart. It isn't about the gifts, although they are always there, it is magic...the knowing that he is coming...the believing you will find something under the tree...you know, we all still hear the bell in our house :0)

Ol' Santa here.

You know Michael, during the Holidays I'll have way more than 50 - 60 kids of the the 6,500, kids that visit me at the Shopping Center ask me "Are you the real Santa Claus?". Now I have the mom's (and / or) dads standing right there and I don't want to outright lie to any child. So I just ask them "Well, what do think"? Many will say "Yes"; others will say "You look a lot like the pictures I've seen of him". But the ones I love best are the ones who ask; "Can I pull you beard?" That's when I just look 'em straight in the eye and say, "I really wish you wouldn't do that because so many boys and girls have yanked on it and my face is very sore from all that yankin. But I'll tell ya' what. You can pull real hard on my mustache or eyebrows and I won't care one bit "

You know, there's something about letting a child do that that gives them cause to back off a bit. Rarely do kids take me up on the opportunity when it's presented in that way.

OL' SANTA (Jerry Miller - Arlington, TX)

P. S. - I wear a half artificial beard but the mustache and eyebrows turned white when I started being Santa. Nope, I've never had that artificial beard yanked off!