Commentary: The Truth about the Easter Bunny

By Jim Schneegold

Buffalo, NY – At 50 years old, as far as I'm concerned, Santa Claus is alive and well and delivering presents on Christmas Eve. But I remember the day I found out there was no Easter Bunny.

I was eight years old. Thursday night in the living room, all by myself, watching television and throwing a tennis ball against the far wall. For some reason, one of the throws caromed into my parent's bedroom. Aggravated I had to get up, I quickly ran in there and looked for the ball. It was nowhere to be found. I looked under their bed, dresser and chair. Nothing. I turned to my right and noticed the closet was slightly open about an inch. Although there was no way a ball could fit in there, I gave it a quick look. To be honest, I didn't know what to think. So I closed the closet exactly how I found it and ran back to watch television. I knew I had seen something I wasn't supposed to. What did it all mean? Is it possible there is no Easter Bunny? There had to be because how did those baskets get in the closet? My brother, Gary, who was five years older, came in the room. I didn't say a word for what seemed an eternity. And then in my anticipation and guilt, I posed my hypothetical question, "Can you keep a secret?"

"What's going on?" he said not giving me a direct answer to my question.

"I gotta show you something. Come here." We went to the scene of the crime. I opened the closet door and showed him the pot of gold. Waiting for my "nice going" and pat on the back I simply heard, "What are you doing in their bedroom snooping in the closet?"

I was dragged back to the living room and cemented to the couch. I thought he'd like the idea I found lots of chocolate we could both dig into immediately.

"You better not tell Mark (five year old brother) you found that. And stay away from that until Sunday."

Geez! You try to be a nice guy and see what happens?

Sunday arrived and I pretended to be surprised. I looked over to my older brothers who began to eat their chocolate and jelly beans. When I looked at Mark, I saw the joy and spontaneous smile of someone who truly loved Easter and what that brought.

I wanted to go back in time. I wanted that feeling again. I wanted the mystery and magic back. But my time of innocence was apparently over. I started to question my older brothers on the Tooth Fairy and Santa Claus, but they didn't answer. At that moment I felt it was up to me to find things out for myself.

In the following years, I never looked in my parent's closet again. Oh sure the tennis ball ricocheted in there, several times, but I went in, got the ball and got out.

These days, I'm very conscious of keeping the magic alive. I go out of my way to make sure the little ones continue believing as long as they can.

When I went to share this story with my niece, Kristie (14), I walked up to her and whispered in her ear, "Kristie! I have a story to show you about the Easter Bunny but I don't want Michelle (10) to see it if she still believes."

No sooner did the words leave my mouth did I hear Kristie scream across the room, "Michelle? You don't still believe in the Easter Bunny, do you?"

Listener-Commentator Jim Schneegold is a local writer who was published in "A Sixth Bowl of Chicken Soup for the Soul."