“My son looks at me, he goes, ‘There’s no Santa. You’ve been lying to me,’” recalls Highfill, 56, of Pleasanton, California. “He caught me red-handed, I didn’t know what to say.”

Saint Nicholas of Myra lived over 1,700 years ago. According to accounts of his life, he was very kind and generous and this inspired the idea of Santa Claus – the man who delivers gifts to children all around the world at Christmas. Scientists created 3D images of Saint Nicholas’s face using data from his skull.

There’s a long tradition of polling on Saint Nick, and it shows that belief in Santa — and favorability and job approval — has been quite steady over the years.

My 6-year-old pieced together that Santa is not real, but my 9-year-old still wants to hold on to the belief. I told them he lives in their hearts.

Good news for Santa-believers as parents tend to spend more on kids who believe in the chimney invader. A recent survey of 2,000 U.S. parents revealed that parents of children who believe in Santa Claus plan to spend over $100 more on gifts this year compared to those whose children do not believe.

Everyone has had to deal with being the target of gossip at one point or another…even Santa Claus! It’s true! Don’t believe us? Take a look at some of the myths that have been told about him throughout the years.