2020, what a year! When we thought things couldn’t get any worse, each month continued to exceed our expectations. However, we persevered and now it’s the final month of this dreary year. In the hopes of cheering you up and getting you into the holiday mood, we’ve prepared some funny stories of the moment we discovered Santa Claus; or more precisely, how Santa Claus doesn’t exist. Merry Christmas!

Dora Scott (Editor): Santa Claus’ Stocking Stuffers

   Christmas marked the annual time that my older sisters and I hunted for Santa Claus. My sisters and I would set up makeshift beds behind the couch, hoping that Santa would make his appearance if we were properly hidden. However, my childhood-self was never able to stay awake, and my suspicions about Santa’s existence grew each year. Our final suspect was my father so one Christmas, instead of camping behind my couch, I decided to sleep in front of my father’s bedroom door. I thought that if he left his room in the middle of the night I would wake up and catch him red-handed. However, I yet again failed to wake up to confirm my suspicions. The final confirmation that my father was actually Santa came when the stocking stuffers were not put in stockings, but were lazily left in the shopping bags that they were bought in.

Mun Su-hyeon (Reporter, Campus Reporting Div.): The Dangerous Truth

   With my first year at elementary school nearing an end, my friends and I were cheerily chitchatting about what we wanted to receive for this Christmas until one upperclassman interrupted our discussion. He mocked at our naivety in believing Santa Claus’ existence, which none of us even dared to question about and was quick to advise that we would now have to feign our belief to receive Christmas gifts from our parents. We, the fervent supporters of Santa, strongly insisted and pointed at how “he knows when you’ve been bad or good,” as clear evidence for Santa’s existence. To this, he replied, “He can’t possibly know what every kid wants. Trust me, unless you tell your parents your wishes, they’ll never get you what you want.” Shocked and still doubtful, I ran straight back home and got my mom to tell me the truth. With a moment of hesitation, my mom admitted that I was old enough to know that there is no Santa. I realized immediately that I should have never asked that question.

Park Joo-hyeon (Reporter, Current Issues Div.): Santa, Baby Jesus’ assistant?

   Since I grew up in Latin America, I initially believed that Baby Jesus brought the presents on Christmas Eve. However, one Christmas morning, my sister and I caught our parents returning home, their arms ladened with gifts. Instead of telling the truth, our parents “confessed” that they were actually messengers for someone named Santa. The “confession” seemed pretty legitimate, so we believed the lie for another year or two. The fantasy finally came to an end when my sister and I found the letters we had sent to Baby Jesus and Santa in my parents’ bedroom. At the time, I felt devastated. However, looking back, I am impressed by the fact that my parents managed to trick us twice and that we believed them both times.

Jung Da-il (Reporter, Photo Div.): The Slip of the Tongue

   One Christmas, my father, mother, sister, and I sat down for Christmas dinner. We exchanged stories about our day. My father talked about his tiring day at work, my mother about the PTA meeting, and my sister and I about school and the excitement of seeing Santa. My father began laughing and cheerfully said, “how do kids still believe in that nowadays?” The salient silence was all it took for us to realize that he just broke the truth to us about our favorite sleigh-riding, Christmas gift-giving hero.

Yi Nuri (Editor, World Affairs Div.): The Santa Debacle

   When I was in 3^rd grade, there was a debate in class whether Santa was real or not. One kid told everyone that Santa isn’t real and treated all the others who believed in Santa as if we were babies. A heated discussion ensued that not even our homeroom teacher could settle. Some kids were furious that the kid was calling their parents a liar. As I wanted to be the cool one, I acted as if I already knew the answer to this whole Santa debacle. I secretly still believed in Santa but couldn’t divulge this secret. That year, my dad accidentally talked about how hard it was to ship my Christmas present from the U.S. It was shocking news but I just acted cool as if I already knew everything. That day marked the end of my Santa fantasy.

Kim Chae-yoon (Reporter, Current Issues Div.): A Telling Gift

   As I was already a spoiled only child and only ever wanted the odd doll or books—which my parents were always eager to provide—they always had trouble finding a Santa’s gift for me. Eventually, in third grade, when they asked what I wanted, I said that if Santa was so all-knowing as to know what every child wanted, he would be able to guess what I had wanted as well. What I ended up getting was a large plastic doll house identical to my friend’s. This gift was useless to me, as it was too small to fit my favorite teddy bear doll. I suspected my mother bought this gift together with my friend’s mom for convenience. This was the turning point for me to cool off towards the idea of Santa; after a few attempts at serious conversation about his existence, my mother also stopped pretending Santa existed.