It's Time for Me to Come Clean: I Saw Santa Clause

I know what you're going to say because it's nothing that other people haven't said to me. You'll read this and roll your eyes. You'll give me all the reasons it wasn't Santa. You'll tell me it was my dad, or my brother, or my neighbor. You'll say I was sleepwalking, or was just half awake and my eyes were playing tricks. But I'm going to tell you anyway, because I'm a 44 year-old man that believes in Santa Clause.

I was 6 years old when this happened on Christmas Eve, 1972. I woke up sometime after midnight because I had to go to the bathroom. Up until that time, and since then, I had rarely not slept all the way through the night, even if in the morning I woke with a full bladder. I got out of bed and wandered down the hall to the bathroom, did my thing, and walked to the bathroom door.

I paused because I heard something in the hallway. We had cats so that was my first thought. Thinking I'd be able to startle one of them and make then jump (that's something I still, to this day, never get tired of) I opened the door very slowly and quietly, intending to stomp on the floor to make them scramble.

It was then that movement at the end of the hall caught my eye. I hadn't yet opened the door all the way, so I was able to just see into the living room. We kept the porch light on, so the room just at the front door was illuminated slightly. I could see the Christmas tree (the lights on the tree were off) and standing next to it was a figure. He was adult-sized, large, had big, fluffy clothes on, and a "Santa hat". I could tell he had a big beard, by his outline. I couldn't see details or color because the light was faint, only just enough to let me see silhouettes.

He was bent over slightly and had his arm extended as if he were reaching for the door. My first thought was not "why is he using the door" (we didn't have a fireplace), but was "if he sees me I won't get any presents!" So my 6 year-old mind told me to run quickly to the bedroom, jump in bed and pretend I was asleep! Of course, the act of running to my bedroom would put me in full view of Santa, but...did I mention I was 6 at the time? The most bizarre part is that as I was running to my bedroom I kept an eye on him and just before I got to the door to my bedroom he just...vanished. I stopped and looked, and even (quite bravely, I thought) walked over and turned on the hall light. But nobody was there at the end of the hall.

Christmas morning came we had the normal presents under the tree. Every year "Santa" would leave unwrapped gifts at the end of the hall for my brothers and I (yes, the same hall that opened into the living room). I knew later, of course, that those were left by my parents to appear as presents from St. Nick. I didn't mention seeing him because I was taught that if you saw Santa you would never get any presents. I thought I had just gotten away with the coup of the century, and I was not about to ruin that!

Some years later I did ask my mom if there was ever a time that I or my brothers got a present from Santa that they didn't put there at the end of the hall, and neither knew where it came from.

She said, "Only once, when you were young. You got a knife, and we didn't buy it for you because we thought you were too young for one. But we let you keep it anyway. Why?"

I just smiled at her and said, "Just wondering." Can you guess what year I got my first folding knife?

Nothing like that ever happened again, but to this day I maintain that I saw Santa Clause that night. I've told my wife (who thinks I'm a nutbar), and my son (who believes me...HAH!) I've told other people and they have said pretty much everything I outlined at the beginning. To them, and to you that are saying the same, I say this:

My parents slept with the door open. Both of them were in bed (their bedroom was right next to the bathroom). My two brothers and I shared a bedroom. They had bunk-beds and they were both occupied. The only other person it could have been at the time would be one particular neighbor whom my parents would trust with a key to our house. The problem with that is that he is about 6'5", and the person at the end of the hall was not. I had not before, nor have I ever since sleepwalked. When I wake up, I'm alert have never had my eyes play tricks on me to the extent that I have seen something as real as a person moving around.

You are welcome to give me your reasons as to why I most definitely did not see Santa Clause. Why I should lay off the psychedelics. Why Santa was made up to scare little atheists. Whatever. But I know what I saw that Christmas Eve in 1972. And I still believe in Santa.

But the Tooth Fairy is right out!

/TOA

Santa Clause from what I read is based on Amanita Musacara trips. Something having to do with reindeer and their urine or something, can't really remember specifics.

I used to work at a costume shop and the old guys who worked as holiday Santa Clauses were notorious drunks.
I'm talking having to buy new beards every few days cause they puked in the one from the day before.

Me thinks maybe a drunk Santa wandered into your parent's house and left his knife.

I see santa every time i look in the mirror

reply to post by The Old American


Santa, and his likes. (Like my Avatar, and Username tomten=santa).
Is very common from where I come from (Sweden).
Although most sightings are small gnome like santa's. Like house-gnomes and forest-gnomes.

And this is why the "innocent" fairy tales you tell your children and indoctrinate them with are dangerous...

Santa Clause
Tooth Fairy
Boogie Man
Easter Bunny
Al CIAda

all of them are to instill control, if you don't act how I want you to act X won't come see you or X will come get you etc...

I don't plan on playing these games with my children, its sets a precedence in their heads that its "to to make S*** up" so long as its "cute" or presumed to be "innocent".

Excellent story. I've always believed in Mr. Sinter Klaus. Just figured him as a multi-dimensional. Or even considered him as a metaphor for otherworldly beings.

My mother has seen Santa as well. Reindeer and all. Been a long time, and she has always held on to her story. She said it drove her later in life to travelling to Finland which is where I have distant relatives (who no doubt also believe in him).

I think the story of him is very, eh, convoluted. Made to be ridiculous. A childhood rite, if you will, into a first "big lie" in order to kill one's imagination.

So that makes you very lucky to have having this experience. Your imagination didn't have to go through recovery like most folks.

S+F

I saw Santa and his raindeer when I was 8. They were silloetted against the moon. We see what we want to see.

Hey, don't feel ashamed or anything man. There are people out there that believe in a lot crazier $#!+ than Santa Claus. Take Christianity for example: "The belief that a cosmic Jewish Zombie who was his own father can make you live forever if you symbolically eat his flesh and telepathically tell him you accept him as your master, so he can remove an evil force from your soul that is present in humanity because a rib woman was convinced by a talking snake to eat from a magical tree." Next to that, a fat guy who knows every little bad thing you do, that flies around with a team of magical deer over the whole world and delivers presents to millions of people in the space of a few hours is totally credible.

reply to post by The Old American



Thank you much for your story. Deep inside, I hope it's true.

But, even at the end, I still think there is a possiblity that
This 'Santa' was a burgalar or prankster.

But, a burgalar wouldn't normally leave a knife, would he?

Do you or your mother remember if the knife was wrapped?

If unwrapped, he could have dropped it.
Whereas if wrapped, it proves the gift intentional.

When did society stop believing in anything beyond our
very narrow span of imagination? Easter bunny, faeries etc.

I am personally disappointed in myself for lack of faith.
As you detailed your very personal story, while testifying
to the validity of the whole, I thought of nothing except
of ways that you could have been mistaken.

I really hope that it was Santa that you saw!

Originally posted by earthdude
I saw Santa and his raindeer when I was 8. They were silloetted against the moon. We see what we want to see.

And we don't see what we won't see.

Reminds me of the series, Taken.

The aliens scan a book a little boy is reading about a chipmonk (or rabbit...basically a furry creature) and then disguise themself as the animal in the book to lure him out to be abducted.

Question ops...that christmas, how did your bum feel? a weird probing sensation perhaps?

Yeah, Saturn is on to something.

Ya see. Santa is really Satan, which we all know the Church fears them darn aliens. Because they're actually God.

So.

Santa = Satan = E.T = God

Elves = Gray Alien

Reindeer / Sleigh = Space ship

Presents = ...Probe?... (Technology)

Originally posted by Sly1one
And this is why the "innocent" fairy tales you tell your children and indoctrinate them with are dangerous...

Santa Clause
Tooth Fairy
Boogie Man
Easter Bunny
Al CIAda

all of them are to instill control, if you don't act how I want you to act X won't come see you or X will come get you etc...

I don't plan on playing these games with my children, its sets a precedence in their heads that its "to to make S*** up" so long as its "cute" or presumed to be "innocent".

Oh, no.
The Swedish version of the Santa/Gnome's are not like that.
The Gnomes protect your house, and animals.
There's no fear involved there.

It is different stories around the world about Santa/Gnome's.
Read about it. It is very interesting.

Originally posted by Sly1one
And this is why the "innocent" fairy tales you tell your children and indoctrinate them with are dangerous...

Santa Clause
Tooth Fairy
Boogie Man
Easter Bunny
Al CIAda

all of them are to instill control, if you don't act how I want you to act X won't come see you or X will come get you etc...

I don't plan on playing these games with my children, its sets a precedence in their heads that its "to to make S*** up" so long as its "cute" or presumed to be "innocent".

Everyone is entitled to their opinion, no matter how hateful, venomous, or ignorant. Thank you for yours.

/TOA

This is a cool story and IMHO, It really doesn't matter what anyone else believes, only what you believe.

Originally posted by ThinkingCap
Excellent story. I've always believed in Mr. Sinter Klaus. Just figured him as a multi-dimensional. Or even considered him as a metaphor for otherworldly beings.

My mother has seen Santa as well. Reindeer and all. Been a long time, and she has always held on to her story. She said it drove her later in life to travelling to Finland which is where I have distant relatives (who no doubt also believe in him).

I think the story of him is very, eh, convoluted. Made to be ridiculous. A childhood rite, if you will, into a first "big lie" in order to kill one's imagination.

So that makes you very lucky to have having this experience. Your imagination didn't have to go through recovery like most folks.

S+F

Thank you. I actually believe that beings can come into existence if enough people believe in them. In 1972 America was still involved in Vietnam and it looked like (at the time) it would continue interminably. People needed something good to believe in around that time. Perhaps enough people believed at the same time that their was a Santa Clause that he came into being for that night, and I happened to be one of the lucky few that got a visit.

/TOA

I never believed in anything growing up. something always told me it was false or fake. except maybe nature.
I knew wind, water, fire, light, dark from a very young age. santa was just another version of noah to my 6 year old brain.

Originally posted by Q:1984A:1776
Hey, don't feel ashamed or anything man. There are people out there that believe in a lot crazier $#!+ than Santa Claus. Take Christianity for example: "The belief that a cosmic Jewish Zombie who was his own father can make you live forever if you symbolically eat his flesh and telepathically tell him you accept him as your master, so he can remove an evil force from your soul that is present in humanity because a rib woman was convinced by a talking snake to eat from a magical tree." Next to that, a fat guy who knows every little bad thing you do, that flies around with a team of magical deer over the whole world and delivers presents to millions of people in the space of a few hours is totally credible.

While I'm not strictly a Christian, I do follow the wisdom and teachings of Christ. I laughed my @$$ off at that! Thanks for the grins!

/TOA

reply to post by tomten


Santa/gnomes
Satan/knows me