Basic Trope: One character (usually a child) is slightly doubtful of Santa Claus's existence but doesn't outright disbelieve in him either. Another character says that Santa is real, but it's later revealed that they're just lying for whatever reason. It turns out that Santa is real.
- Straight: Alice is a little girl. On Christmas Eve, she starts to be curious as to how Santa works, which leads to her questioning if he even exists. She goes to her older brother Bob and asks if Santa is real. Bob says, "Of course he is," but it turns out that he just didn't want to disappoint Alice. However, Santa turns out to be Real After All.
- Exaggerated: Bob claims that Santa is not only real, but he's met him before. It turns out that he's lying through his teeth, but then Santa appears right in front of Alice and Bob.
- Downplayed: Alice wonders how Santa works but never doubts his existence. Bob makes up a story about how Santa might work, but then it's revealed that Bob doesn't think this story is correct and, while he doesn't outright disbelieve in Santa, he's sort of on the fence about his existence. At the end of the episode, we see evidence of Santa, but not Santa himself.
- Justified: Santa manages to cover his tracks very well with his magic, so it's not too unusual that Bob would disbelieve in him. He lied because Alice is sensitive and he thinks she might cry if she's told Santa isn't real.
- Inverted: Alice believes in Santa. Bob says, "Don't Be Ridiculous!" but it turns out he believes in Santa, too. However, Santa doesn't exist.
- Subverted: It turns out that it was actually Charles, Alice and Bob's father, dressed as Santa.
- Double Subverted: Then the real Santa turns up.
- Parodied: Santa's belief and existence is subject to nonsensical mock physics where his existence depends upon if anybody is observing him or not.
- Zigzagged:
- Alice wonders if Santa exists. Bob says he does, but he's lying. Santa appears to show up, but that's just Charles. Then another Santa appears, but it's left ambiguous as to whether Santa exists.
- Santa does turn out to be real, but Alice and/or Bob keeps changing their mind about whether they believe in Santa or not.
- Santa is revealed to be real but as an entity more akin to a loa, acting through any given Willing Channeler. Although Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane is in effect, the channelers certainly believe so.
- Averted:
- There is no Christmas Episode.
- Nobody questions whether Santa exists.
- Nobody lies about Santa.
- Santa explicitly doesn't exist and everyone knows that.
- Enforced:
- Lampshaded: "Huh! I thought I was lying but I was actually telling the truth!"
- Invoked:
- Santa reveals himself to Bob to prove to him that he's real.
- Charles tells Bob to lie to Alice about Santa.
- Exploited:
- Defied:
- Alice is curious as to how Santa works but refuses to doubt his existence.
- Bob decides that though Alice might initially be disappointed finding out that he doesn't believe in Santa, telling her the truth is better than lying in the long run.
- Santa decides to prove to everyone that he exists.
- Discussed:Alice: "Is Santa real?"Bob: "Of course he's real!"Alice: "Well, my classmate Dave's big sister Emily said that, but it turned out she was lying. But according to Dave, Emily then saw Santa!"
- Conversed: "The brother lied about Santa. What's to bet Santa will actually appear?"
- Implied:
- We don't see Santa, but we hear a "Ho ho ho" in the background.
- Bob's not confirmed to have been lying about believing in Santa, but he was talking in a stereotypical lying voice.
- Deconstructed:
- Alice, a little girl, firmly believes Santa Clause is real while her older brother, Bob, is doubtful but keeps up appearances because he doesn’t want to disappoint Alice. On Christmas night, Alice and Bob stay up late and go downstairs to meet the real Santa Clause. They meet the big man himself while he is putting presents under the tree and they are sent back to bed. They take a picture and/or video of Santa beforehand and post it online. Despite their claims otherwise, people online believe the photo/video is staged and/or faked.
- Alternatively, after seeing firm, irrefutable evidence that Santa Clause exists, governments around the world become suspicious that Santa isn’t as benevolent as he seems so a country sends in an army to the North Pole, hoping to capture Santa Clause and question him.
- Reconstructed:
- Played for Laughs:
- Played for Drama:
Back to Santa's Existence Clause.
