It’s Christmas Eve and Trevor can not sleep. He hears something coming from the living room, but when he takes a peek at who it is, Trevor does not see who he expects.

An important part of Christmas can be Santa. But that moment when kids find out he is not real can be heartbreaking. 

“I found when I found wrapping paper in my parents closet that was the same as I thought Santa used, so I asked my parents about it. They thought it was finally time they told me the truth. I was shocked at first but then it all made sense after a little while,” freshman Carson Campbell.

Some find out that Santa is not real at a very young age while others do not find out until much later.

“I didn’t find out that Santa wasn’t real until I was 12 years old, and the way I found out was when my parents just sat me down and finally told me. They said they wanted to wait until they thought I was old enough to handle it,” sophomore Lexi Mcfarlane.

Some kids love the thrill of the Christmas spirit enough to hide the truth.

“After I found out that it was my parents and not Santa, I chose not to tell them because I know how much they love Christmas so I want them to keep having fun and keep the spirit alive,” junior Zander Sledge.

Finding out Santa is not real can varies.

“I found out in the worst place possible. I walked out into the living room because I was so excited for Christmas that I couldn’t sleep and so I went out to get a drink. I found my parents putting the presents under the tree,” junior Cory Tiller said.

The hard truth of finding out Santa is not real can be tough, especially at a young age.

“In fifth grade, I went to school, and it was the day we were watching the Polar Express. One of my friends started telling people he wasn’t real, so I looked it up and found out the hard truth,” sophomore Gage Hall said.

If people find out other holiday figures are not real, they might put the pieces together.

“I realized Santa wasn’t real in fourth grade when I caught my grandma putting money under my pillow. That’s when I realized the Tooth Fairy wasn’t real so then I started thinking about other things, like the Easter Bunny and Santa and figured out they weren’t real either,” junior Ava Key.

When people can not sleep on Christmas, they might get curious.

“When I was 10 years old, I stayed up late to try and catch Santa. While I snuck into the bathroom, I saw my dad putting presents under the tree and that is when I figured out Santa was fake,” sophomore Matthew Wilson said.