I don't enjoy being a grinch but the whole Santa Claus fantasy must create some level of distrust in kids when they realize their parents have been lying to them. I felt that way when I realized the church had been lying to me.
We told our kids upfront that we were honoring a man who was like a Santa to poor children in Prague - St. Nicholas. So, they got Santa gifts, but they knew there was no Santa alive today.They began taking part in the Angel Tree Project when they were just 6 & 8 yrs old - buying gifts for underprivileged children for Christmas. When they were 12 & 14, the girls suggested we stopped exchanging gifts to one another and just took on more Angel Tree gifts. We realized that we really didn't want anything, already had it, and enjoyed helping the children's home more.