The Santa Question

So, I've been thinking lately about the Santa thing. I have read a few blogs about the subject and talked to some people and I'm just not sure about it all. Most of the people who don't do Santa that I have talked to have similar reasons for not. And honestly, I am torn. I am not a huge Santa fan or anything like that, but I just don't know if it is a big deal either way. Obviously I know the real reason for Christmas and we definitely emphasize that and focus on that during the season. We have a few traditions that keep us focused on the real reason, such as having a birthday cake for Jesus and things like that. So it isn't that we lose focus. And right now our kids don't know what Santa does anyway. Eli barely looks at him in the mall, so we don't have to worry about that right now anyway.

But I think back to my childhood and how Santa was incorporated. I don't remember believing in him or at what age I stopped believing in him, so I assume at some point my parents told us about Santa, but I also don't remember it being a big deal. I didn't hold it against them for not telling me sooner about Santa or anything like that. We focused on the real reason too, reading about the birth of Jesus from the Bible on Chirstmas morning. When we got older we had to say a verse related to the Christmas story before we could open a present, so obviously we were raised to know the real reason for Christmas. But we also enjoyed having the whole Santa thing--looking for him at night, leaving cookies for him, and having gifts from him on Christmas morning.

So, what do you think? To do the Santa thing or not--is there a right or wrong? If not, is there a best and not best? Or is there a happy medium? I know this world focuses so much on getting and spending and all that during this time, so I always want to keep my perspective and my kids' perspectives right. I'd love to hear your thoughts!!