I personally never enforced the idea of Santa with my son. When he was young, we didn't have a lot of money and weren't able to go hog-wild at Christmas.

In all of the songs and cartoons and stories about Santa, they constantly teach that Santa brings toys to all the GOOD little girls and boys. Our neighborhood was mixed, with some families that were well-off, most families like us that were in the middle, and some families on welfare. Some of the welfare families were headed by the stereotypical 'welfare queens' - 4-5 kids, living in a subsidized house paying $50/month for rent, receiving welfare, food stamps, free medical care, plus having a relative or two and a boyfriend, all of whom have jobs, living there too, so there's a ton of money coming into the house and very few expenses.

So when Christmas comes, my husband & I, working our low-wage jobs but paying our bills and saving money, have about $150 to spend on our son, who truly is a good kid, for Christmas gifts. Meanwhile, some of the low-rent kids, who vandalize property, steal, are defiant and swear, even at adults, get suspended from school, etc., are having a grand old Christmas, getting hundreds of dollars of gifts. How do you explain that to a child who believes in Santa?