As a child, Christmas is a magical time filled with delectable cookies, holiday spirit, and wondrous wishes. Perhaps the most intriguing and elusive aspect of Christmas is jolly old Saint Nick, also known as Kris Kringle or the most popular name, Santa.

You may wonder how one man, with one sled and eight reindeer, could make millions of children’s dreams come true in one short night. The answer is he didn’t, your parents did.

As children grew up they became wise to their parents’ trickery and lies. The stories are different for every person, but the verdict is the same— Santa is a fake.

Emily Cope (9) said she “was going down to see Santa put the presents in the stockings” when she caught her father in the act. As a young seven –year- old, she was appalled to see her father wrap her presents and even eat the cookies laid out for Santa.

Cameron Henderson’s (12) loss of innocence was more planned. Cameron was a diehard Santa believer and got in fights with kids in sixth grade who questioned the validity of Saint Nick. However, after hearing from her sister that Santa was a fake, she decided to investigate.

“I was sitting on the balcony hiding behind a column, while I watched my parents wrap the presents and put them under the tree,” said Cameron.

Danielle Renaud (12) foiled her parents when they mistakenly placed the wrong colored gum in her stocking. “My brother got blue gum in his stocking and I got purple, but my favorite color was blue and when I asked my dad why I got that color, he apologized for it and then I freaked out,” said Danielle.

Math teacher Colette Moran also found out Santa was a fake at a young age. Moran had been told by her parents over and over again that she had been a bad child that year and on Christmas morning found a stocking full of sticks.

“There was a note in my stocking about how bad I was and that was why I received all sticks in my stocking, but I recognized it as my brother’s handwriting, who was five years older than me,” said Moran. “That’s how I discovered there was no Santa.”

Sure, finding out Santa is a fake can be a traumatizing event that leaves Christmas a little less magical, but Christmas is still a special time, even though the meaning changes as people grow older.

When you’re younger, the focus of Christmas is just crossing off every present you asked for on your wish list and making sure you got the newest iPod. Once you figure out the truth, it become more about the memories you make, spending time with your family, and giving— not receiving.