I agree...I never saw the point. (Which makes me intolerant and Scrooge-like by some standards, I guess...)
We always DID the Santa thing, we just never called him Santa Claus. We called him St. Nicholas and emphasized that he brought gifts as his way of honoring the Christ Child. We never went crazy with the St. Nick stuff. When the kids were little, we celebrated the Twelve Days of Christmas, and the kids got something from St. Nick on Christmas day and were allowed to open the gifts from each other. Then each day following Christmas all the way to Epiphany, we gave them each a little something; a book, markers, CD when they got older, etc. They got a somewhat larger gift, a board game etc. on The Feast of the Holy Innocents on Dec. 28, the Feast of the Holy Family, New Year's Day and the finally Epiphany. We used the gifts from Sir SuziQ's parents, and one of his sisters who never married, for one of those 'big' days. When the two older ones went off to college, it got more difficult because they were in and out during the vacation. We stopped the Twelves Days thing about 4 yrs. ago, but I still hold one gift out for Epiphany.
We started doing that so the kids wouldn't be so overloaded on Christmas Day. It was in reaction to my growing up Christmases. I have an aunt and uncle who would spent upwards to $1,000 on EACH one of their 7 children on Christmas, and they were not rich by any stretch of the imagination! The girls got clothes, jewelry, games, albums, etc. When the boys were older they got bikes, motorcycles etc! Our families all got together at my maternal Grandmother's house on Christmas afternoon, and when I'd ask my cousin what she got, she couldn't even remember! It was so much that is just all blended in her mind. I always thought that was just a waste so decided it wouldn't happen in our house. The most we've ever spent on a Christmas gift for one of the kids was this past year. We told our oldest we'd pay for a 'tune up' and check out of his car. Turns out, the transmission was shot and he needed a new one! $1,800.00 later, the car ran really smoothly! He has paid us back for most of it because he knew we didn't intend to spend quite THAT much!