I would assume that tradition derives from similar offerings being made to faeries or hearth deities in return for their favor, in which case you're not trying

I would assume that tradition derives from similar offerings being made to faeries or hearth deities in return for their favor, in which case you're not trying to convince Santa to give you more gifts but rather to not to steal your children and replace them with changelings or lumps of coal because you offended his weird elf sense of hospitality.