Santa Claus - fact or fiction?

Merry Christmas, Santa
Originally uploaded by hyuhan.

Last night Joe and I had a conversation about Santa. Actually, it was me who did most of the talking this time, because Joe is still recovering from an awful, awful flu. I feel for all you poor individuals afflicted with this grievous ailment. Anyway, I'm chattier than ever, because my husband is finally able to engage in discourse with me again, now that he has some of his energy up. Can you tell that I am in need of companionship? I've only been writing a novel or two per day.

The dilemma is that as a Christian, 1) we don't want to tell lies to our children about some man who brings toys to only good boys and girls and 2) it takes away from the true meaning of Christmas and reduces it to something commercial. On the other hand, 1) what are children without hopes, dreams and stories (mythical or real), 2) our kids are going to ruin it for all the other kids on the playground, and 3) most of us have warm, wonderful memories from our childhood that are rooted in our belief in a Santa and the anticipation of receiving magical, elf-crafted gifts.

In our household, we have been avoiding the "Santa subject" with the kids. Even though we had Abby take pictures with Santa (very tastefully done at Disneyland) and she talked to him, there was no explanation of who he is and what he does. But already Abby seems to know about him. Maybe she heard about him from some friends at school? My inclination is to tell her that he is a story, like Cinderella, that has been passed down for many years. It will go something like this: On Christmas we celebrate the birth of the baby Jesus, His physical incarnation. As a bonus, we keep the tradition of exchanging gifts in the spirit of Santa Claus. Oh heck, who am I kidding? Do I really expect my 3-year old (or my 1-year old) to understand what I'm talking about? The girl still believes that the characters in costume at Disneyland are the REAL DEAL, even after meeting 3 different Belles. And it lights up her world to see and touch them every time we go to Disneyland. How could I burst her bubble like that? I don't know what to do. We can't avoid the subject forever, like our parents did with the sex-talk. Any suggestions? Until we come up with a good explanation, the subject continues to be non dit in our home.