At What Age Do Kids Stop Appreciating Santa Claus Gifts?

Many kids below eight years believe in the magic of the rosy-cheeked gift giver who mysteriously brings them gifts during the Christmas holiday. The heavily bearded Santa Claus appears simultaneously all over the world, dishing out presents to kids. Nonetheless, as kids develop, they stop believing in the magic of Santa, and most of them get disappointed by the tricks played to them by their parents. At the age of eight, children develop their conceptual abilities and become aware of their realities. Generally, at this age, kids don’t subscribe to Santa Claus myth.

As the kids’ cognitive development increases, skepticism comes into play, and they start understanding that the magic of the jolly bearded older man with a red outfit is a ploy by adults. At this time, many kids are left wondering how Santa manages to enter their houses through chimneys.

Some extrovert children tell off their parents and other adults for pulling Santa stunts on them. Perhaps some kids discover the ploy because of brain development, while others grasp the reality through blunders committed by adults while gifting them.

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You might be wondering the reason why at the age of 8 or 9, children overgrow the magic of receiving Christmas gifts from the jolly red-dressed man with white beards. Stay with us on this page, and we will dig out the truth for you.

Why Do Young Kids Believe In Santa Claus?

Why Do Young Kids Believe In Santa Claus

Children below seven years believe everything they hear from adults and take it as pure gospel. Independent studies indicate that the fantasy of Santa is believed by younger kids more than any other fantasy in the world.

Even if adults don’t subscribe to the Santa fantasy, kids in that household believe in him because they hear about his great miracles and his kind heart of gifting all children worldwide during Christmas festivities.

How Do Most Kids Support The Existence Of Santa Claus?

You will never succeed in making children under the age of seven dispute the existence of the kind-hearted Santa Claus. Whichever doubtful quiz grown-up kids throw at them concerning the authenticity of the gift giver is answered with lots of enthusiasm. 

For instance, if you ask them how Santa identifies bad kids worldwide, they confidently tell you that he uses cameras stationed all over the world, then flies around gifting good kids individually. If you ask them how he manages to squeeze himself through the chimney to bring them gifts, you will get weird answers such as “he removes his clothes and manages to push his slim body through.

Like in the case of adults, much of what we believe as the truth about some things come from testimonies from some quarters. For instance, none has ever witnessed that our planet earth orbits the sun, but just like kids believe in the Santa fantasy, we all subscribe to the idea of the earth revolving around the sun.

Why Is Age 8 & 9 The Limit For Believing In Santa Claus?

Why Is Age 8 & 9 The Limit For Believing In Santa Claus

Psychology plays a significant role here. Most kids become of age and undergo personality changes at different stages in life. While at the age of 7 and below, they believe in everything they hear. This time they even grow knowing that their dads are the only superheroes on planet earth. When the kids approach their 8th birthday, they become aware of many concepts and start questioning what they previously cherished as plain truth.

Given below are the significant factors that dissuade children aged eight and above from believing in the Jolly good white-bearded gentleman loaded with gifts.

1. Cognitive Development

At the age of eight, most kids are at the concrete operational stage of their life. Unlike previously, when they were in the preoperational stage, they start showing logical and concrete reasoning.

Their thinking expands, and they start thinking less about themselves and familiarizing themselves with their surroundings and other external events. Even though they can’t think hypothetically at this stage, most kids start realizing that magic such as Santa Claus doesn’t exist in real life.

2. Awareness

When most children celebrate their 8th or 9th birthday, their intellect enables them to think critically, and they become aware of things that are impossible to do. At this stage, most kids start asking themselves hard questions such as how Santa manages to eat cookies in his sack without falling sick. It dawns to them that the red-suited guy can’t do all things he is hyped to do during the Christmas season.

3. Skepticism

Children at the age of eight or nine start being skeptical about everything. The faith they had about Santa start waning. They start seeing the Existence of Santa as magic that requires a lot of faith to conceptualize.

4. Physical Principles 

At this stage, children are aware of simple physical principles. Due to their knowledge, they start asking themselves questions: How can good old Santa manage to visit children worldwide in a single night? How can he enter our rooms through tiny chimneys? And how can he fly through the air on a wooden sleight?

With all these questions about the violation of physical principles unanswered, kids lose interest in Santa.

5. Conceptual Questions

As children grow, they start conceptualizing happenings around them. Due to developmental shift, they ask conceptual questions such as how doe Santa know am a bad child, or how can he fit through a tiny chimney?

With all these lingering questions, children start seeing Santa as a myth from the North Pole that has nothing to do with their lives.

6. Parents’ Plunders

Other children discover that Santa is non-existent due to plunders from their parents. This might even happen earlier before cognitive development. In this case, parents binge much on Christmas eve and end up dropping gifts loudly, awakening the kids. 

The History Of Santa Claus

The History Of Santa Claus

We all understand that our generous Santa Claus lives in the North Pole, but does anyone know how old he is? The jolly older man is famous the world over for gifting boys and girls during Christmas.

Could you believe that our good old Santa is 1,741 years old? Many of you judge him by the white beard and estimate that he is in his 70s or 80s.

History tells us that Santa Claus was born in 280 A.D. The Philanthropist monkey who came to be known as Santa was born in Turkey, and his name was Nicholas. Due to his excellent work of providing for the poor, he was sainted and became Saint Nicholas. His legend grew and spread until he was named the protector of children.

When the Dutch migrated to America in the 1700s, they spread the legend of Saint Nicholas. The tale is that he was giving children’s gifts on December 6th, and the day was known as Nick’s feast day.

How Did The Gifting Change From December 6th To Christmas?

The emergence of a poem by Clement Clarke Moore titled “A Visit from Saint Nicholas,” also (known as “Twas the Night Before Christmas,” changed the narrative. The poem describes the Jolly Old Elf we know today as father Christmas or Santa Claus.

The modern look of father Christmas was coined by Harper’s Weekly cartoonist called Thomas Nast in 1931. He depicted him wearing a red suit and a white cap in a Coca-Cola advert.

Tips Of Giving Presents From Santa

For those kids that still recognize presents from the Jolly Old Elf, let’s keep gifting them every Christmas until they realize that Santa is a myth. Below are tips to guide you in giving Santa’s gifts to children without arousing their suspicion. 

1. Let Big Gifts Come From You And Small Ones From Santa.

Avoid presenting all gifts as Santa’s. If you do so, the kids will know that only Santa cares for them and not their parents. Ensure significant gifts are from family members. Let Santa’s be toys and stockings.

Be careful with handling the gifting session, else the Jolly Old Elf will take all credit for Christmas gifts in your house. 

2. Avoid Buying Too Much

Kids below eight years are too young to appreciate gifts. Please don’t spend too much on their gifts when they don’t even understand their meaning. As kids grow, they can’t remember what you gifted them while they were toddlers.

3. Plan Where To Put Santa’s Stockings

The ideal place to place Santa’s stockings is the end of the kid’s bed. However, if your kid is a light sleeper, consider placing them somewhere out of the little one’s room.

4. Ensure You Use Santa Wrap

Avoid using ordinary wrappers that children can easily spot on other presents. Go for a Santa wrap to give credibility to the special gift from the older man in a red suit.

Conclusion

Though it depends on family traditions, the age limit of receiving Santa Clause gifts is between eight and nine years. At this stage, the young ones become aware of their surroundings and develop skepticism to things that defy physical principles.

 

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