By Lisa Salmon
Students on campus have all faced the awful truth that Santa is not a real man. The way children discover the sad reality is sometimes sad, or sometimes funny. Each person has a different experience.
LeeAnn Foote, a senior from Flower Mound, Texas said, 'I don''t remember everything exactly, but what I do remember is that I kept having all of these doubts, because I think I was in middle school at the time. Everyone kept telling me there was no Santa and I was like ''yeah, there is too a Santa.'' So I kept asking my parents about it and they kept saying something about the spirit of Santa Claus. Then, they brought me into their bedroom and sat me down on the bed and I knew that they were going to tell me and I started to bawl. Then I kept crying when they told me there was no Santa.'
Sean Hill, a junior from Glendora, Calif. said, 'Well, one night I went to bed a little late, or maybe my bladder kicked in at a certain time, and I was walking through the hall and I saw my mom running back and forth with gifts. Then I was in for it, I had it. Christmas was a fib. I was probably about eight or nine at the time.'
Ciara Decker, a junior from Baton Rouge, La. said, 'I was approximately five-years-old, and I set my fisher-price alarm clock for two in the morning. When I woke up, I woke up my little sister, and we both went downstairs and we had to run back upstairs because my mom and dad were still putting together the bike that I got for Christmas that year. That''s how I found out that Santa Claus was not real.'
Jeni Miller, a junior from Calgary, Canada said, 'It was when I was ten-years-old, a little late, I know. It was a very sad day. I had just gotten a new Barbie house for Christmas. The day after Christmas, I was in the garage and I saw the box that the Barbie house had come in.'
Lindsay Ercanbrack, a junior from Orem said, 'I was about eight years old. I heard my parents listening to Christmas music and wrapping presents and then I knew that there was no Santa. It made me really sad, I asked them about it and they tried to say that it was Santa, but I knew it wasn''t.'
Liz Ward, a junior from Heber said,
'I found out that there was no Santa Claus when I was in Kindergarten, when I was five. I got a princess crown for Christmas and I brought it to show and tell. My teacher said something to me like ''oh, I saw your mom shopping for that.'' And I was really sad and I talked with my twin sister about it, so we both found out when we were five.'