God or Santa Clause
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Karl Aksel — 2 months ago(January 09, 2026 10:28 AM)
Santa was never something my parents presented to us kids as real. I mean, there were name tags on all the presents anyway, telling us who they were from. It's not like I believe Santa brought me the presents that said "From aunt so-and-so". Every year a "mystery relative" would come in dressed up as Santa Claus, but even an infant can spot a fake Santa beard. The tradition was instead to guess which relative was Santa this year (they'd be wearing a full mask, not just the beard). I don't think that was just my family, because I cannot recall having ever encountered kids who actually believed in Santa.
It's not that the grown-ups ever said it was a load of bull, they actually did say Santa was real - but they always said it with a wink.
God being real, however, was never said with a wink, and that's the difference. What you learn in childhood will stick like super glue, and can be very hard to unlearn unless you also unlearn it in childhood - especially if it is something even adults believe.