Readers tell their true stories of sightings of Santa Claus

A CHERISHED TRADITION for many children is the belief in Santa Claus, and a relatively common phenomenon is a memory these children -- now adults -- have of actually seeing Santa with their own eyes. Should these sightings be dismissed as childhood fantasies and false memories, or was their belief in Santa so strong that he magically materialized, if even for a brief moment?

Whatever the case, in the spirit of the season we kindly ask that you suspend your disbelief for awhile and enjoy these true Santa sightings.

SANTA IN THE SKY
by C.B.

I was about 6 or 7 years old and it was the day before Christmas here in South Africa. It was late in the afternoon and there was nobody outside, just me sitting there looking up at the sky. I started hearing a sound like bells and the "Ho, ho, ho!" sounds. I looked up and I saw the sleigh and Santa himself. It was all shiny around him. My jaw dropped. I couldn't believe it! I stared at it for a long while, but he was going extremely fast. It was not a plane or anything like that. I ran inside the house and I told my mom to come quick. When I got back outside, he was gone.

GLOWING SANTA
by Sarah A.

I saw Santa when I was 3. It was Christmas Eve and my Aunt Susan was spending the night with us. She got my bed, so I had to sleep on the floor. I went to sleep and awoke around 2:30 a.m. to something glowing in the hallway outside my bedroom.

When I fully opened my eyes, I could see that Santa was standing in my doorway with a mystical, magical glow around him. It was silver and gold and glittery.

Santa looked right at me and without moving his mouth, he said to me, "Now you know you are supposed to be asleep while I am here, don't you?" I told him that I knew I was supposed to be asleep, but how could I? He told me, "Close your eyes and at least pretend." At three years old, even I knew this could be a dream, but I knew I was awake. People have told me maybe it was my father, and maybe it was. How he got the hallway to glow with glitter is beyond me, but as far as I am concerned, it was 100% the spirit of Santa Claus. I am now 41 years old and still believe that I saw him.

SANTA'S MAGIC DUST
by Sam B.

When I was 5, I had an experience with Santa Claus. It was Christmas. At 4 a.m. I awoke to hear rustling in the hall. The door opened and Santa Claus came in! Surprised, I hid under the covers. He walked into the bathroom. Around 10 minutes later, he came out, bent down and shoved two things under my bed. He came over to me and said, "Shhhh." He put out his hand and some kind of "dust" came out. Within seconds, I fell asleep. And to prove I wasn't dreaming, the next morning presents were under my bed for my brother and me! I don't care if people don't believe me, I know I'm telling the truth!

SANTA ALIEN SCREEN MEMORY?
by Sandra B.

This happened to me on Christmas Eve in Florrissant, Missouri around 1967 or 1968 when I was about 6 or 7. Dad and mom and my 6 siblings were asleep. I remember getting up to peek in living room for the goodies. We got a huge chalkboard that year, which was placed in front of the entry to the living room. I saw a very bright light shining in the room behind the chalkboard. I peeked around the side and saw Santa. He was bent over, but stood up straight and puffed on a pipe as I looked on. He was facing away from me looking toward the front door. Well, that was enough for me. I didn't want to get caught being awake. I quietly made my way back to my room and never told anyone about it.

A few years later, my dad told me the "truth" about Santa. I just walked away, dumbfounded, and did not tell him of my experience. I have heard since that after abductions, aliens give us screen memories to protect us from the truth. They erase our memories and give us a false memory as a parting gift. I saw a lot of odd lights in the sky during the previous summer. I also experienced a terrifying night with three of my sisters at the same house. That's another story, but I think an alien was involved!

SANTA AT THE WINDOW
by lahecht

It was Christmas Eve, 1992 in my hometown in Venezuela. I was home hanging out with my best friend, and at around 9:00 p.m. we decided to go to her house to see if she had any presents. Her parents were out at a fancy Christmas party. We entered her house, and the main hall leads to a door that opens to a big dark living room with a big window on the back that faces the forest.

When we entered the room, there was Santa at the window. With million kilowatts of lighting shining on his face, he stared at us for several seconds that felt like hours. My friend and I held hands and were so scared we didn't know what to do. We were shaking and speechless. All of a sudden, we decided to step forward, and the shining man nodded. He waved at us in a very calm way and flew off. Sparkling stars came out of his feet. We were perplexed. No one believed us.

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