Is it real?

How important is it, and at what age do you tell a child that those cherished holiday/event characters in their lives are not real?  For me, with our first child, Jenny, it came too, too early, she was only four years old.  We were driving to church the Sunday after Christmas when this question hit me from the back seat: 

Jenny:  Is Santa Claus real?

(Not ready for this) mommy:  Santa Claus is a fun game that mommies and daddies like to play with their children.

Jenny:  Is the Easter Bunny real?

(Oh no, no, no) mommy:  The Easter Bunny is a fun game that mommies and daddies like to play with their children.

Jenny:  Is the tooth fairy real?

(Can't believe this is happening) mommy:  The tooth fairy (she hadn't even lost any teeth yet) is a fun game...

Jenny:  Is Heavenly Father real?

 
Now, given that little scenario, what did we do?  We went on to play the game with the next five children and continued to do it with Jenny (even though she knew).  And they all grew up with their psyches and testimonies intact.  Here was our philosophy - we went to church EVERY Sunday, we prayed EVERYDAY, we read the scriptures, we worked and played as a family.  Santa once a year, Easter baskets once a year, and losing 20 teeth were minuscule compared to what we were doing everyday.  We made what was real, REAL all year long.