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I don't like it either. My parents were frugal - focused on needs, not wants. Toys and luxury items weren't even on the radar. My father justified this by saying the goal is to teach children how to live, not how to become spoiled. Fantasy teaches you nothing about the real world.
As a kid, my sister and I got one present each for Christmas - a new item of clothing, either a coat or a sweater. Mom's focus wasn't on fashion, it was on finding something "sturdy" that would be big enough to last into the next year. My father was raised on a farm and had to quit school as a kid to support the family, then he went off to fight in WWII.
I DREADED going back to school after Christmas. Everyone got to say what they got for Christmas and all the fun they had playing with their toys. They all got what they wanted, and then some. When it came to me, I had to point out the ugly sweater everyone had been teasing me about earlier. The whole classroom roared with laughter.
When my son was a toddler, I went all out on Christmas. Yep - it felt good to see his face light up at all the packages. After he finished opening everything, he turned to me and said "Mommy, where is your present - you weren't good this year? I thought I had it all covered - forgot to get myself something.
When my son found out about Santa, he was SO MAD at me for lying to him. I fessed up to being selfish and pretending to be Santa. What angered him the most was he knew we were struggling financially - it made him feel selfish for asking us to do without in order to provide him with toys.
Now we can barely afford to keep our house warm and food on the table, so it's particularly difficult to see all the greed, gluttony and garbage this holiday brings forth.
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