CHILDREN SEARCH FOR TRUTH ABOUT JOLLY MAN.(Living Today)

Byline: Stephen Frank Staff writer

When the time comes for children to learn the cold, hard truth about Santa Claus, they don't stop believing just because some spoil sport says, "There is no Santa."

Instead they figure out the truth about Santa for themselves.

That is the finding of an Ithaca College psychologist who studied 432 children aged 5-11 to determine how and when they stop believing in Santa Claus.

Questions like how a fat man can fit down a skinny chimney, how he can visit all those houses in one night and how reindeer can fly are likely to be key clues for children, according to psychologist Cynthia Scheibe.

"I …