Remember the shock of discovering Santa Claus isn’t real? What a bummer! As it turns out, adulthood isn’t much different; it has its own set of surprising realizations. In an existential take on the Christmas spirit, Reddit users have shared a list of 17 relatable moments where adults encountered their versions of “Santa isn’t real.” Take a look:
17. “Having to Pay Tax Instead of a Return.”
“First time this happened to me as a teenager shattered my heart. I had so many plans!”
“My father always told me you want to owe money at tax time, because that means the government effectively gave you an interest-free loan and you can take advantage of that. If you get a refund, that means you gave the government an interest-free loan.”
16. “HR is NOT On Your Side”
“HR works for the company. Never forget that.”
“HR IS the company.”
“Their job is to protect the company. A good HR department understands that means protecting the workers because it’s in the best interests of the company to have reliable workers.”
“HR is an extension of legal and compliance. And glossy brochures with lies.”
15. “There Are No Hot Singles In Your Area”
“Actually there are, but they sure as **** aren’t interested in me. Unless they charge.”
“You’ll see them out and about, but have no interest in a somewhat overweight nerd.”
“I was running 30 miles a week for 5 months straight. I lost less than 5 lbs. And even losing weight and putting on muscle I’d just be a fit nerd.”
14. Everyone Fakes It Until They Make It
“When you realize basically everyone is just faking it til they make it.”
“Still faking it, waiting for the ‘make it’s part.”
“That’s the twist: The people who say they made it are also faking it.”
“The dark underbelly of ‘Fake it til you make it’ is what they’re really saying: ‘I’m faking it.’ No one’s ever made it. We’re all frauds.”
13. “You Never Actually Feel Like The Adult”
“This. I’m 40 and I still feel too young to be an adult in many situations.”
“I’m 42 with a 90-year-old body. I feel like I’m somewhere between 16 and 25.”
“Yeah, this broke me. I keep waiting for the adult to emerge. I’m 51, and I’m gaming and watching anime with my teenager. I feel that maybe it’s just a generation thing.”
12. Work Will Get In The Way Of Your Dreams
“Working full time and being too drained to chase your actual dream.”
“You guys have dreams? I just don’t want to be in pain every waking moment.”
“Opposite for me, after chasing my dream and realizing that it wasn’t all I thought it was chalked up to be, I am loving my 9-5 corporate desk gig.”
11. Going To College Isn’t All It’s Cracked Up To Be
“That going to college and getting a 9-5 wasn’t going to be the fun, creative, latte-filled experience rom-coms would have you believe.”
“Sitcoms convincing you that a group of six wacky friends with unique careers will have time to spend together at the best seat in the coffee shop and go on silly adventures between work.”
“And that every-day-spent-with-your-friends dwindles in early ’20s. Or whenever everyone starts marrying off.”
10. High School Mentally Never Ends
“For me, it was realizing the high school mindset in people never ends see it in 60 yr olds on Facebook now.”
“It’s actually infuriating when you’re in a work environment and the people that work there still all act like high school students.”
“Roughly 80% of my coworkers act like this, most are parents & grandparents. I try to keep to myself.”
9. One Mistake Could Change Everything
“One dumb mistake and it could all be over.”
“And it doesn’t even have to be your mistake.”
“Having a close call that you got away with that could have very realistically gone another way is something that can **** with your head.”
“I’ve had horrible death anxiety ever since falling in the shower and realizing I could’ve hit my head, died and nobody would be around for a while.”
8. Figuring Out Life Isn’t Easy
“I thought I’d grow up, move out, find my footing in the grown-up world, and basically switch into cruise mode. Now I’m in my 40s and **** is confusing as ****.
“As adults, nobody knows what they’re doing, we’re just pretending we do.”
“Adults ask kids what they want to be when they grow up because they are looking for ideas.”
7. “Some Friends Were Never Really Your Friend”
“Also that friendships can end just like any relationship.”
“The best friend I’ll ever have said some nasty things to me and blocked me recently. Never going to get much closure on that front.”
“On a related note: your co-workers are not your friends.”
“I’ve learned you can actually make deep connections amongst coworkers.”
6. “$500 Isn’t A Lot Of Money”
“Yes. And then also when you need $500 and don’t have it it is a lot of money.”
“Having money’s not everything. Not having it is.”
“I read something similar lately along the lines of $1,000 isn’t a lot to have, but it’s a lot to lose. Very true for low to mid earners I think.”
5. Products Aren’t Always What They Seem
“When you buy an 8-piece tupperware set, 4 of the pieces are lids.”
“Same with pots and pans. What a rip-off!”
“And when you put them in the cabinet, suddenly SIX of the pieces are lids.”
“And those extra two lids? Don’t ******* fit on anything in the entire ******* house.”
4. Hardwork Isn’t Always Rewarded
“Being a hard worker and good at your job doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ll be rewarded for it.”
“And the laziest person at work is allowed to be lazy, but the hardest worker isn’t allowed a break.”
“This is why boundaries are SO important with an employer. Don’t give them the idea that you’ll work 80-hour weeks.”
“There’s a balance to be met between burning yourself out for no too little reward and being truly lazy, split the difference & you’re golden.”
3. “Sometimes There Is No Justice”
“Most murders are never solved.”
“And most ***** are never even investigated.”
“So many ***** are committed by people you know. It’s not some dangerous dude lurking in an alley…”
“My ex murdered my 10-month-old son and got 15-30 years. First shot at the parole board was in 2020, and it was rubber-stamped. She’s out now after serving the minimum.
2. Realizing Someone You Looked Up To Isn’t Who You Thought They Were
“Finding out that someone you have looked up to and admired your entire life is actually a horrible person.”
“Had this moment with a close friend last year and my life will never be the same. You have to routinely think ‘Hey if I just met this person would we be friends,’ if the answer is no you have to seriously reevaluate your friendship.”
“That’s crazy I said the EXACT same thing when I decided to stop being friends with someone I’d known for 20+ years.”
1. Reaching Retirement Isn’t About Hitting A Certain Age
“Finding out that reaching retirement is about hitting a financial number and not reaching an age.”
“Also finding out that this financial target is much harder to reach than you were lead to believe, and it gets worse every year.”
“There’s no easy exit for us wage slaves. Work until we die.”
“Well for a few of us with pensions it’s about the age number.”
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Source: Reddit.