My brother and I always wrote a letter to Santa. I don't remember whether Santa ever wrote a letter back! I continued the tradition with my daughter. I still have a couple of letters from Susan to Santa which he must have left lying around. Of course, the letters contained the wish-list. We were also taken to visit Santa in various shops. I don't have photos of me with Santa, but I do have many of my daughter as she paid the mandatory visit to Santa.
When my mother was a child she knew her parents didn't have much money - and the year her friends were starting to doubt the existence of Santa my mother had proof positive that he did exist. When Mum found a beautiful doll under the tree she knew there had to be a Santa because her parents could never have afforded a doll like that.
My parents cleverly got around the problem of multiple Santas, and also how to explain why Santa brought some children very expensive presents while others got less. All of the Santas that we saw at Christmas parties, in the shops etc. were Santa's Helpers. As for the presents, the main present we got was from Mum and Dad, and it was the smaller presents in our stockings that came from Santa.I remember the year I learned about the secret of Santa - I went snooping looking for presents. I found a case under my parents' bed, full of toys. I told my brother - who promptly told my mother! Mum told me I had spoiled the surprise - yet it had never occurred to me that this meant Mum and Dad "helped" Santa each year. I may have cottoned on when I saw those same toys in our stockings (that's where Santa left the presents from him), but as I'd only had a brief look in the suitcase even that might not have spoiled anything.
Do I still believe in Santa? Why, of course .........
grt
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