There are a number of reasons why I believe that tricking kids into believing in Santa is not funny. Kids should know the truth from the beginning instead of being tricked into believing in Santa.
1. Not teaching children about the value of money
A popular custom during Christmas is gift-giving. But on Christmas Day, when people gather around the Christmas tree and open presents, the children presume that the presents are given by an imaginary guy named Santa. The problem with falsely attributing the source of the gifts is that the children is deprived of learning the value of money. Children must learn to be grateful during Christmas and accept the gifts they receive from their parents, because the gifts are paid for with the best of intentions. And it's the intentions that matter most.
2. Not teaching children about honoring one's parents
Parents should be honest that they are the true gift-givers and should have the ability to reject a gift request, if the request is not deemed suitable for academic achievement. Children should not expect all their requests will be fulfilled and should understand that some requests may be out of the parents' reach.
3. Complicated wishes or requests
Sometimes, a child's parents may be divorced or dead. In that case, bringing the parents together or bringing the parents back to life is an impossible task. A long-lost separated parent may be invited over for Christmas dinner, but if the parent is in prison/jail, then the family may have to pay a visit to the family member in jail/prison during Christmas. Sometimes, a child may want an outrageously expensive gift, like a horse. Not going to happen.
4. Santa's not real; stop feeding a lie
Santa's not real. Santa Claus is the result of what happens when European paganisms mix with Christianity, so the original meanings of both become diluted. There is no reason for non-Christian children to write a letter to Santa and expect gifts in return for being good during the year. Likewise, there is no reason for Protestant children to honor Saint Nicholas, when the obvious person that deserves any praise is the Christ. Only Catholic children can recognize Saint Nicholas as a saint, and everyone can give gifts to each other in honor of Saint Nicholas. Actually, it makes more sense when you think about Christmas gift-giving that way. You're doing something in honor of or in remembrance of someone special in history. You're not expecting material things to pop out in thin air; reality doesn't work like that.
5. Too much emphasis of material rewards for good deeds
The excessive materialism during Christmas is forging a relationship between morality and wealth. This is not a biblical practice, as the Bible does not say that you will get wealth for your good deeds. Gift-giving should be given out of kindness, not out of pressure. Parents are not obligated to be work robots and slave away enough dough just to make their kids happy during Christmas. Children or the gift recipients should not expect what they want. Instead, they should be happy with whatever they receive. If the recipients actually receive a pile of coal, then they should be happy about it, because the coal can be burnt as fuel for the family. It's not clean energy, but it still works as a good supply of fuel.
6. Children should pray to Jesus
Children should pray to Jesus. They probably don't need to tell Jesus what they have done, because Jesus probably knows that already. Instead of focusing on one's accomplishments, children should focus on one's weaknesses and think about how to improve them the following year. That way, they will learn to grow spiritually as the years roll by. Non-Christian children don't have to pray to Jesus. They can just think about their own weaknesses and how to improve themselves in the future with the help of their loved ones.
Any gifts that children receive are received knowingly from their own parents who love them, and the precious money spent stems from the parents' own hard work in the workforce. So, children should appreciate whatever they receive.
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