Christmas is different once the secret is out. I kept my kids believing as long as I possibly could. My eldest son believed until he was 11. A friend really made me angry by telling my daughter when she was about 5. I was SOOO angry I can't even tell you, I still haven't forgiven her for it. Daughter was good at keeping a secret though, she never told (she's three years younger than her older brother). The older two helped keep the youngest two believing until they were 11.

The year they turned 10 the PS2 came out and was impossible to get. I think they believed that year because they wanted the game system so badly. They were absolutely positive that even if Santa couldn't get it in the store his elves could surely make one. My husband waited in line for over 8 hours for that PS2, he got the second to the last one and was offered $2,000 for it on the way out of the store. The smile on their faces and the conversation I overheard later about how Santa had to be real was worth it to have them believe for one more year.