Always thought the idea that someone else (F.Christmas),was able to supply expensive pressies rather worrying. So, when my children were small we explained that whereas FC definitely visited (or not if they had been incredibly bad that year), we, as parents had to pay them to supply the pressies. AND...that part of our payments had to be kept back so that children without parents who could pay would still get some.
Worked well, I think all my children knew before secondary school. Worked hard on the older ones NOT to disillusion the younger ones.
Myself, I realised when my I saw my Dad bringing in the pressies after he got fed up with me not going to sleep. He did make a lame excuse about FC not knowing which door was my bedroom, but it was enough for me to fathom it out - I was 8and a half years of age.
Loveliest comment was from my youngest, when he was about 6 years old, always a very deep sleeper. Christmas morning, he told me how he had watched vfrom his bedroom window FC and the sleigh, etc fly across the sky - and he really beleived he had done so.
