I've long not been a fan of Santa. I was definitely one of the ones who figured it out young. Being the smart little turd I was, I used my sense of questioning to push the envelope more an more arguing I should get better shit because why not it's just some magic elves at the North Pole that make it all anyway. I think at a certain point my parents were just forced to tell me it was a lie. Sure, I'd probably figured it out, but it sort of sunk in then to a not very good feeling that I'd been deceived.

Christmas was never the simple fun holiday I think it should be nor was it a religious holiday to me. My Christmas was the ridiculous obsessions with lavish decoration perfection instead of the enjoy sticking up your goofy looking tree as something fun to do with kids. Santa was the magic fat man who brought stuff so we can threaten you for a few months that he's going to give you crap if you don't. It's a super big deal holiday for my mother and she looks back now and wonders why we don't have the same obsession, and I don't think realizes that all the fun memories she had at Christmas time as a kid totally don't exist for us. We were never involved, just along for whatever ride we were put on like it or not. I still don't love it and much prefer Thanksgiving or some less obnoxious holiday if there's really any left.

It's funny to think of as a Communist creation with how much "consoom" it's become. Maybe one of their means to an end? Push everyone into capitalist contests until they get sick of it and cast capitalism aside? Or just to get you conditioned to being lied to?