Why Does This Bother Me So Much?

I despise the Easter Bunny.

What do I have against him?

Well, I guess it's more like, what do I have against the early Church?

It really bugs me that we have a wonderful Christian holiday that goes hand-in-hand with obvious, blatant symbols of fertility rituals from the ancient world. I just can't get behind the idea of a church hosting an egg hunt, for instance.

I don't want my little boy to grow up thinking Jesus has anything to do with paying homage to fertility goddesses by celebrating the rabbit or the egg.

But the catch-22 is... I guarantee you when we get to church Sunday morning, some well-meaning older person that doesn't think before they speak is going to ask Sam what the Easter Bunny brought him. So should I feel obligated to put a basket together for the kid, all the while feeling like I'm perpetuating something I detest? Or stick to my guns, and risk that the kid will find out he's missing out on a lot of candy?

*Sigh*