SANTA CLAUS AND HONESTY

As a father who perpetuated and encouraged my children to believe in Santa Claus, I've often had to do some serious soul searching about how it affected my children, and how my views have moderated over the years. 
I'm not going to decry or bemoan the secular take over of Christmas because it is Christians who appropriated the holiday from the pagan worship of the winter solstice.  In temperate climes such as Northern and Central Europe, what were people supposed to do when they couldn't sow or harvest?  I'm also sure that people don't really change much from generation to generation, so it isn't difficult for me to believe that those who had homes with warm fires, and plenty, would be inclined to invite their neighbors, and family in for a story around the fire.  We haven't changed much as social creatures despite what doomsday prophets say.  The circle is bigger, the fire less conspicuous, and the means of getting to one another's abodes less fretful.  The gift of giving to one another during this time of year wasn't Christ centric, but it has helped the gospel go forth.
So, I'm not here to tell you if it is right or wrong to tell your children about Santa.  I am here to tell you to check your own heart and see if it is alright with the Spirit of God within you. 
You have to ask yourself why the story of a jolly old man in a red suit, flying around in a sleigh pulled by flying reindeer continues on year after year, especially when all of us eventually grow up and learn the truth.  One of the reasons I think it continues is because of the look of wonder in our children's eyes when they see that one special gift brought to them by someone they don't ever see.  That light usually goes out by the time a child reaches seven or eight years of age, and the truth is told to them.  Sometimes a parent will explain the truth, but usually a child finds out from an older friend at school or in the neighborhood.
The myth of Santa is an easy way for parents to buy gifts for their children without being inundated with constant requests for toys all year long.  If you've done the myth right, your little child knows that Santa knows what they want without them even asking or writing to them.  Hmmmmm, does that sound familiar?   At the same time, it takes you out of the equation for making value decisions about how they've behaved all year. 
Let's admit it, we all like to give our children gifts, because we are like our heavenly Father.  Jesus made this connection years before there was ever a Saint Nicolas from Norway.  He said;  "If you, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children..."  (Matthew 7:11)  It is in us to bless our children and bring them joy.  The bible is replete with story after story of fathers giving their children gifts.  I guess my question is; do we need Santa to make it fun? 
The older I've become, the more I step back from the craziness of it all.  I love the season, I love to see children's eyes filled with wonder, but I hate to see the Courthouse square empty of the nativity scene.  I think that if I were to do it again, I would tell my children that there once was a real Saint Nicolas who came into a large sum of money and decided to give it out to those in need.  I would then use that as a sedge-way into the true story of Christ's birth, and the greatest gift of all.  I would explain how people have used the story of Saint Nicolas to carry on the joy of giving year after year, helping to keep the spirit of Christ alive from generation to generation.  I would tell them not to destroy the joy of another child who might believe, and to be kind to others during this time of giving. 
Honesty and transparency are leadership traits that every father needs to learn early in order to raise children who value both.  Does it make a difference that we carry on a lie every year till they are old enough to be told the truth?  Is it one of the little lies we tell, even though we know it isn't real?  Is there a 'tooth fairy' in your home?  What about the monster under the bed that will get you if you get up in the middle of the night?
Even worse yet, are you one of those people who smile and shake the Pastor's hand at the end of the service, and then proceed to gripe and complain about him or her on the way home from church?  Do you brazenly talk about cheating on your taxes, the condition of an object you are selling, or even telling someone a falsehood concerning their looks or behavior?  Telling your children there is a Santa kind of pales in light of these falsehoods. 
Santa is a personal decision, and I won't give anyone a hard answer on it, because it is a personal decision.  Besides, I wouldn't want to give you a reason to be duplicitous.