Hallmark Religious

I was talking to a friend of mine yesterday who is giving up everything but fish and vegetables for lent. She was clearly using lent as a reason to diet, and not to observe the holiday itself. I find that a lot of the religious holiday's have become extremely superficial. Christmas has become about Santa Claus, reindeer, and presents and not about the birth of Jesus. Easter has become about a rabbit hiding candy in plastic eggs around your back yard and not the day that Jesus was resurrected. Chanukah is about dradels and potato pancakes and Good Friday is a day off school as far as I'm concerned. I won't deny the fact that I was brought up this way and that I still think every child should be brought up to believe in Santa and the Easter bunny, I just believe the religious significance should play a part. Although religion is not a large part of my life, it is meaningful and serious and something that I respect. I am embarrassed to say that if I asked my eight year old sister who Jesus was there's a good chance she wouldn't know. I think it would be a shame if hallmark religion spread and a commercialized culture took over completely. Not everyone needs to be religious and believe in it, but knowledge about why the holiday is even there should be taught.