!!Scrooge alert!!
Veg has never been a Santa fan, from that very first visit to the mall. From that day forward he was afraid of every human with a beard. Grandparents included!
Pictures of Santa, bearded men at the post office, bearded men at the store... SCREAM... you get the idea.
Which was perfect for me, because I didn't want to do the whole Santa thing anyway. My reasoning was simple. I couldn't lie.
Which can spawn much debate... but yes, that was my reason.
HOWEVER!! Because my guy was terrified of the Bearded man, we didn't talk about it. Presents came from who they came from and no other worries. We had advent calendars, surprise ornaments, gift and craft traditions, but not the Santa thing. He knew always where/who purchased each gift.

Veg was age 6 before he would look at a bearded man again. By then Santa was just a person in costume, and he figured that out all by himself. Started watching Christmas movies etc. all good!
My Mother-n-law would send these letters "from Santa" and Veg would say "Why does Grandma keep saying these are from Santa, they are obviously from her" Or when opening a gift that had a "from Santa tag", he would say "Why does this say Santa on it, it came in that box with Grandma's address"...
Needless to say, even if I WANTED to pretend Santa brought all the presents, my Kiddo would have figured me out by age 3.
Sooo here is the problem... Getting him to keep the truth a secret so other children's parents can keep the lie. We talk about letting other children believe and how that makes them feel special. Now I have to tell my kid (with no mouth filter) that even though he knows the truth, this is one time that he shouldn't correct people even if they are saying something that he knows is not true because to them, it is!
This is a conversation we have every year, because mine would be the kid to tell everyone in a classroom that Santa is a character in costume and doesn't bring their gifts. When he slipped, I felt like I needed to apologize.
But then I think... Why should I apologize for my son being honest! Ugh! the dilemma this whole Santa thing has brought. Well, we finally get that all working well at Age 9. No issues... The Santa filter installed on the chatterbox.
THEN insert the Flippin Elf! OH MY WORD!!! I mean the idea is fun, but parents making the kids believe that the Elf is alive and doing all these things while they sleep. That is just CREEPY!!!
Not knowing anything about the Elf, Veg comes home from school EVERY DAY to tell me about the elf stories he hears from other kids. Wonders why their parents are lying to them and curious how they could think a doll would be able to do all those things.
Sooo, we have the whole "Believe" conversation again and again and again...Conceptually, he just doesn't understand this because it isn't logical. And everything in the Vegkid's head has to make sense. We talk..I think we are good... I think we got it. All is well... Elf Filter is installed on the chatterbox!
Christmas is over, Shewwww.... we got through another year with out him bursting someones bubble... Success!!!!
AND THEN we go out shopping. Four strangers ask Veg what Santa brought him for Christmas, he says "Nothing" to all of them. They just look at him surprised and I think "Woah boy, here we go"... I told him it is Ok to say that he got gifts from his parents if that makes him feel better.
NOPE!!!
Fifth random stranger asks him what Santa brought for Christmas and I guess the filter came off at this point. He looks at me with those big eyes and says:
"MOM, why does everyone keep asking me that, St. Nick is dead"
I give a smile to the poor lady that asked this question as her jaw was dropping out of her head and we quickly walk away to have ANOTHER conversation.
Now, can someone tell me where that dead St. Nick thing even come from!!
Heck, maybe it is easier to say Santa is real... this telling the truth stuff is becoming quite a pain in the rear~