Why is it that so many lies we as a society tell our children involve benevolent home invasion? You have Santa Claus, of course, who explicitly finds circuitous routes into the homes of sleeping people around the world, and then the Tooth Fairy somehow magics her way into a child’s bedroom, and manges to pull a tooth out from under their pillow without waking them. Is a sleeping spell involved in that, or are the fairy’s tiny hands just so small that they don’t move the pillow much?
But the strangest one is the Easter Bunny. Santa is confined to the specific route between the chimney, Christmas tree, and the milk and cookies, while the Tooth Fairy stays in the bedroom. But the Easter Bunny wanders the house, sticking its little rodent-like paws into every nook and cranny to hide its little surprises. Even ignoring the health concerns of advocating for animals handling food, why is the message we’re instilling in children that if they hear someone creeping around their house at night, it’s probably just to give them gifts?
Image: Amara Gelaude/The Cascade
Jeff was The Cascade's Editor in Chief for the latter half of 2022, having previously served as Digital Media Manager, Culture & Events Editor, and Opinion Editor. One time he held all three of those positions for a month, and he's not sure how he survived that. He started at The Cascade in 2016.