Christmas can be a magical time, and for the majority of American children, part of that magic includes their belief in Santa Claus. 

According to a American Journal of Orthopsychiatry study, 85 percent of 4-year-olds, 65 percent of 6-year-olds and 25 percent of 8-year-olds believe that jolly ol’ Saint Nick travels down their chimney to deliver presents every Christmas Eve. For many Randall students, Santa has been a part of Christmas past, and for some, he’s still a part of Christmas present.

“I believe in Santa Claus,” freshman Tori Lowry said. “ It is really good to believe in Santa Claus because when I was little my mom used to say, ´If you do not believe you do not receive.´ So, yes, I believe in Santa Claus. Why would parents want to stay up and wrap presents and who eats the cookies and drinks the milk? I know that my parents or my brother do not like any of those so it has to be Santa.” 

For some Raiders, such as freshman Landry Moore, the day they lost belief in Santa is still fresh in their minds.

“When I was 11-years-old, the door to my room was open and I saw my mother in the living room putting our Christmas presents out,” Moore said. “From that day on, I knew that my mom and dad put our presents and candy in the stockings.¨ 

There are 74 million children in the United States.This Christmas Eve, many of those will go to bed thinking about all of the naughty things they’ve done this year, and wonder, “have I been good enough to make the nice list?”