It might be time for Santa Claus to retire.

He’s a nice enough guy and all and he’s definitely put in years of good service, but it might be time for us all to face the fact that having him stick around is doing more harm then good.

Who is Santa really? For kids, he is a magical man who travels around the world in one night and has the power to give any present imaginable.

Kids often unknowingly abuse this idea to no end. I know I definitely did.

What’s the harm in asking for mounds of presents for Christmas if they can all just appear by magic? However, (and spoiler alert to anyone under the age of 12) Santa doesn’t really exist.

Santa may be a magical, wondrous friend for children to believe in, but the strain of keeping Santa Claus alive is almost too much for the many parents to uphold.

As wallets become tighter and tighter, many households are coming to face the fact that luxury just doesn’t mean what it used to.

The idea of Santa might be a nice illusion to tell our children, but all it is doing in the long run is harming both the parents and the children themselves. It’s much easier for children to grasp the idea that Santa doesn’t exist then to learn that Santa is giving them fewer presents than the other kids in school.

Instead of lavishly treating kids with mounds and mounds of presents, why don’t we all just accept a one gift standard? This will accomplish two very important things.

First and foremost it helps ease the financial and mental strain of Christmas. One well thought out gift for each child will be much easier on the debit cards of America. Secondly, it puts the emphasis back into the true meaning of the holiday.

By giving someone one well thought out present, you’re saying, “This gift is meant to represent the love I have for you.” Not love from Santa Claus, or Wal-mart, or your credit cards, but from you.

The emphasis shouldn’t be placed on the gift itself but the meaning behind it. That goes for much more than just the gift giving aspect of Christmas.

Christmas is a time meant to be spent together. You can’t spend the day with your whole family when little Timmy is too absorbed in the endless supply of gifts he’s been given.

Maybe we should wake up to a Christmas breakfast with the family and save the gift giving till the end of the day as the cherry on the top of the time spent with loved ones.

Maybe if we do this, we can win our holiday season back from Santa Claus and together we can save Christmas.