History Main / SantasExistenceClause

* Happens to Scott Calvin in ''Film/TheSantaClause'', even though he spends the better part of his visit from St. Nick and successive trip to the North Pole trying to convince himself it's a joke and that he's deluded, respectively, completely blowing the false pretense he had made of believing in Santa.

In American media, expect a reference to the StockPhrase "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus," from an [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yes,_Virginia,_there_is_a_Santa_Claus 1897 editorial]] in the ''The New York Sun'' that told a little girl Santa Claus is real in our hearts and minds.

* This stanza from Greg Lake's "I Believe in Father Christmas," which was written about the commercialism of the holiday and how it irked him that people thought it was politically incorrect to talk about Christmas, choosing instead "the Holidays":

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheBeatles'' cartoon "Money," the boys are at Coney Island where Ringo mistakes a mechanical clown as Santa Claus (the Brits refer to Santa as Father Christmas, but it's not brought up here).

* The ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarepants'' Christmas special has all of Bikini Bottom await Santa's arrival, only for him not to show up, to [[TheCynic Squidward's]] delight. When [=SpongeBob=] gives Squidward a present (because he didn't ask Santa for one), Squidward feels guilty and pretends to be Santa for him (and then later, because he can't leave [=SpongeBob's=] field of view, [[FawltyTowersPlot for the rest of the town as well]]). After Squidward gives away all of his possessions as presents, he discovers a note from the ''real'' Santa Claus, thanking him for filling in. Then he hears sleighbells and sees a live-action Santa [[note]]who apparently ''could'' breathe underwater, but chose not to, and also elected to give [[ButtMonkey Squidward]] a thank-you note rather than his worldly possessions back [[/note]].
* ''WesternAnimation/FostersHomeForImaginaryFriends'' explores this in "A Lost Claus." After Mac's belief in Santa gets shattered, he sends out a prayer to Santa asking for a sign he's real. Although we don't see Santa at the conclusion (just the Santas kids thought up in their imaginations at the start), Mac's prayer is answered.

* On ''WesternAnimation/{{Rugrats}}'', Chas decides to be Santa for Christmas, while Drew hired an actor. After Chas reveals his identity to Chuckie, Santa soon arrives at the door to hand out presents. The actor later calls to say he can't make it as Santa rides off in his sleigh and the adults wonder who he really was.

* In ''The Autobiography of Santa Claus'', after Francis Church writes his "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus" response to a little girl's letter asking if Santa exists, Santa leaves Church a special gift and a signed thank you note. (In this case, Church ''does'' believe in Santa. It's Virginia's father who doesn't but tells her to write the letter rather than disappoint her. Santa points out that the father should have noticed his child receiving extra gifts, but speculates that maybe he didn't notice because Virginia's mother does all the gift shopping.)

* ''Series/DoctorWho'': [[Recap/DoctorWho2014CSLastChristmas "Last Christmas"]] zigzags this. Santa Claus is explicitly stated to be a dream construct trying to save the characters, who have been trapped in dreams by the MonsterOfTheWeek. He, however, admits that he exists in their belief. Then, at the end, [[spoiler:after everyone has woken up and the Doctor and Clara have taken off for more adventures, there's a shot of a tangerine, which Santa had earlier stated to be his "signature gift", on Clara's windowsill, adding a MaybeMagicMaybeMundane twist.]] And, of course, this isn't even mentioning that way back in [[Recap/DoctorWho2010CSAChristmasCarol "A Christmas Carol"]], the Eleventh Doctor claimed to have met Santa personally, and that he prefers to be called "Jeff".

-->'''Rose:''' Look at you, dancing around like you're Father Christmas!
-->'''Doctor:''' Who says I'm not - red bicycle when you were twelve.

* The ''WesternAnimation/JimmyNeutron'' Christmas episode has Jimmy trying to convince his friends that Santa isn't real, going so far as to take a trip to the North Pole... where, even after arriving at Santa's workshop, [[SkepticismFailure he's convinced it's somehow all fake]]. After accidentally zapping Santa and being told Christmas has to be called off, he offers to deliver all the toys from his rocket, claiming that if a mere mortal can succeed in delivering all the toys in one night, [[LogicalFallacies it's proof that Santa doesn't exist]]. Naturally, he fails, and Santa, who [[UnexplainedRecovery has gotten better]], steps in at the last moment to finish the job.

* An episode of ''Series/{{Amen}}'' which had Frye acting more like [[Literature/ChristmasCarol Scrooge]]. When called in to defend a man dressed as Santa who punched another man who was ridiculing him, Frye initially thinks the man is nuts before coming to the conclusion that he ''is'' Santa, and decides to use ''this'' as his defense. After winning the case, Frye comes home to find the train set that he's wanted since he was a little boy under the Christmas tree, as a reward for being ''good".

* Justified in that the ''Wiki/SCPFoundation'' can't contain [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-4255 SCP-4255]] so they modify the memories of the parents of the kids he delivers to. To make them think they bought the presents themselves.

* On ''WesternAnimation/{{Rugrats}}'', Chaz decides to be Santa for Christmas, while Drew hired an actor. After Chaz reveals his identity to Chuckie, Santa soon arrives at the door to hand out presents. The actor later calls to say he can't make it as Santa rides off in his sleigh and the adults wonder who he really was.

-->-- '''''The New York Sun''''', 1897

--> '''''The New York Sun''''', 1897

--> '''The New York Sun, 1897'''

In American media, expect a reference to the StockPhrase "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus," from an 1897 editorial in the ''New York Sun'' that told a little girl Santa Claus is real in our hearts and minds.

[[folder: Web Original]]

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Recess}}'', "Yes Mikey, Santa Claus Does Shave" - Mikey is the only one of the gang who still believes in Santa. He eventually loses hope until an elderly man tells him to believe with his heart. In the end he and his friends see Santa flying, leading Mikey to believe he spoke to the ''real'' Santa (who shaved).
* [[Creator/RankinBassProductions Rankin-Bass]]'s ''WesternAnimation/TwasTheNightBeforeChristmas'', where the non-believer is told with a straight face that his disbelief ruined an entire town's Christmas. The reason? Santa is real, easily offended, and will skip entire towns over one moment of skepticism.

* [[Creator/RankinBassProductions Rankin-Bass]]'s '''WesternAnimation/TwasTheNightBeforeChristmas,'' where the non-believer is told with a straight face that his disbelief ruined an entire town's Christmas. The reason? Santa is real, easily offended, and will skip entire towns over one moment of skepticism.

* ''WesternAnimation/ClassOf3000'' Kam argues that Santa simply cannot exist, but it turns out he does! And he gives Kam a lifetime membership to the Bigfoot Watchers Society.