It seems like there is a lot of boohoo-ing and what not regarding good ol' St. Nick and the Easter Bunny. I guess somewhere in a place I don't care to find out, a teacher in the second grade I believe told her students good ol' Kris didn't exist. My thoughts on this? What a joke. Public schools need to stay out of this. Sure, Santa may not be "real" in the sense so many want him to be, but it's not very different than saying God doesn't exist, or Siddhartha never existed, or Jesus never existed. Why?

Well, I don't know. Give me physical proof of Jesus. It can't be the Bible. Now, give me proof of Siddhartha. It can't be any of the sutras. Give me proof of God. You can't say the whole wide world. Tangibility does not define reality and truth, because if it did then technically Hitler never existed, because I can't see him in person or touch him. Santa Claus, along with the Easter Bunny, to some are marketing ploys, and sure…they are used in that manner. But have we forgotten as a whole nation that Santa represents something greater? Did Jesus himself not say "Consider the lillies of the valley?" The little things in life, consider them for just one second. Think about what all great men and women do, that's Santa Claus. I'm Santa Claus, you're Santa Claus, we can all be if we want. St. Nicholas was real, but Santa isn't.

For every child that sits on Santa's lap is a child with a smile, with a dream that there is truly someone willing to give to all regardless of who they are. Santa is not anti-religious, he is the most religious figure of them all when it concerns children. Just consider this: is Santa different than Mohammed, Jesus, or Siddhartha? Did they not all wish to spread a message, to help others with that message? Santa is not about presents and money, it's about magic, that you don't need to see something to believe in it. When I have children I will never deny Santa Claus, because he is more real than most human beings will ever be. He deserves more respect. Once a year we can finally all be equals, just hoping for his gifts to come. Those gifts don't need to be tangible. They should be much more than those physical presents. Love, happiness, joy, consideration, mercy. That is Santa Claus.

Christmas is said to be the day we celebrate the birth of Christ, the Lord our Saviour to some, the Son of God to some, Jesus to some. To some it's just a Pagan holiday Christians stole. To some Jesus was born in July. To me? It's a celebration of life and family and love and friends and everything. You don't need to believe in anything to believe in Christmas, because Christmas is so much more. It's a time to be thankful and happy and to realize that there is much more in this world than yourself. Everyday a child is born, and within them lies the possibility that they may someday help change the world. Why can't it be that Christmas celebrates that? Why can't it be that Christmas is about new beginnings, just like it was originally intended? Why can't Christmas be about love, and why can't people resist defaming it with religious passion or atheist passion? Christmas existed before Christ, and before the Pagans. Just because of a name so many get so worked up, and it's not worth it. On Christmas you don't need to worry about going to church, or spending lots of money. Christmas is a time for magical things. Santa is all of that rolled up into one great thing. It saddens me to know people shun Santa from their lives, just like some are saddened by the shunning of God. Santa is the beauty of what life is supposed to be in my mind, nothing more nothing less.

With quick regards to the Easter Bunny, there is definitely more religious background to Easter in the sense of there not being Pagan influence. Sure, I don't know what the deal is with this mystical bunny that comes to my house, but I don't get why we must all cry about it. I think it's the jealousy from people refusing to admit they are no longer children, and they want no child to experience that joy. I don't know, I never will. I don't believe these holidays should be restricted to Christians, and I think that is why these characters were invented. Some people choose to go by the religious meaning, some don't. All religions, at least the major ones, have a very similar message within them and these holidays bring that out. If you can't handle the idea of a bunny you have such a wonderful life, because I wish my biggest worry was a bunny. Sure, maybe it does celebrate that occasion when Jesus was whipped like a slave, then essentially slaughtered by hanging on a cross when he then ressurected. But, I don't feel that's completely appropriate for a young child. Let them be children, and teach them the truth along the way. That's all I've got to say.