santa or no santa?

i read something recently that really got me going. it was a blog featured on the website saidatsouthern.com giving reasons why not to include satan, or santa (blogger's words) in one's christmas celebration. the blogger's argument centered around the dangers of the God-like qualities which we attribute to santa, including omniscience ("he knows when you've been bad or good..."), omnipresence (visits all the children in 1 night), and giving rewards for good behavior (which is not an accurate attribute of God, but many believe He operates this way). i agree that it is very dangerous to make santa into a god-like figure and that the vast majority of families place too much emphasis on santa and his gifts. however, do we have to? do we, as christians, have to make the choice between santa all the way, or no santa at all for our families? why can't we have both? while our santa claus may be a far cry from the original st. nicholas and his acts, why not reclaim that spirit of giving and pass it onto our children? tom and i believe that santa can be a pedagogical tool. while children are very young, let them experience the sheer joy of receiving gifts simply because they are loved. as their intellect matures, so too should their understanding of giving--i reference paul in 1 corinthians 13:11. they do not give to get, or as a trade-off for good behavior, but because they are beginning to desire to love others sacrificially; gifts being one expression of that love. children's interest, and belief, in santa will naturally wane with time, but the desire to give and serve can mature if parents will foster it all year round. i am not naive enough to believe that if parents let their children believe in santa claus they will all turn out to be good, kind, and love God...but, i do believe that if parents seize every opportunity to point their children to God and to His ways, that it will not be in vain. that's why i don't get worked up about setting out cookies for santa and then reading our christmas story before bed on christmas eve. tom and i will make many mistakes while raising caleb, but taking opportunities to discuss God and Jesus with him will not be included among them...just in case santa is checking his list! ;)