My parents never lied to me about Santa, but they used to pretend he was real in a tone of voice that told me the whole thing was a big game. I did the same with my children. It is possible to have fun with the myth without taking it all too seriously. And, for the record, I deplore people who use Santa as a means of control - "be good or Santa won't come", elf on the shelf, santa cam etc - it just shows a lack of imagination and/or skill and/or confidence in disciplining children.
There are quite a few posts above, implying that Christian people who do not push Santa as an idea are somehow joyless. However, I think the upsurge of the Santa myth is a symptom of a lack of belief in the transcendent - a symptom of the joylessness of the adult's life, who then overcompensates by trying to manufacture joy in their children. How about finding and helping your children to find the real joy in life?
If you believe the story of the nativity, you just don't need Santa. What could be more amazing than believing that there is a God who made and sustains the entire universe, and yet cares enough about our lives to become a little baby, and to live an ordinary human life, in order to connect with us?
"How silently, how silently the wondrous gift is given,
So God imparts to human hearts the blessings of his heaven.
No ear may hear his coming, but in this world of sin,
Where meek souls will receive him, still the dear Christ enters in."
That's a far better story than some fat bloke squeezing down your chimney with a sackful of My Little Ponies.