Contrary to what most people think, the trappings of Christmas are not based on Jesus Christ of the Bible, but are deeply rooted in pre-Christian oral legends, sanitized by theologians, historians and, in some instances, the editorial rooms of more modern times. Of all these legends, none has grown to the stature and popularity of that of Santa Claus.

On Tuesday, December 20, 2005, ABC aired a special two-hour program entitled, "Heaven: Where Is It? How Do We Get There?" To produce the program, Barbara Walters spent a whole year traveling the world, "interviewing religious leaders, scientists, believers and non-believers alike to get a range of perspectives on heaven and the afterlife."

With all that's happened this past week life has certainly changed for many of us. My brother and I were in hurricane Katrina while visiting family and friends back in Mississippi this past week. My cousin's home was flooded as she lived in New Orleans and has moved out to be with her children in California and will be looking for work. Our mother's home was spared, being in Jackson, Mississippi; however, the home was without power for over a week until just yesterday. We lost several trees and one landed on the roof of my grandfather's home out in the country just north of Clinton.

"Governors claim oil companies guilty of gouging in Katrina aftermath" "Man charged with scamming in attempts to collect disaster relief" "Retailers accused of inflating clean-up materials costs" These headlines, and many others like them, scream out from newspapers, TV news screens and Internet Blog pages.

Sitting in a long line waiting for a gas pump to be vacated can increase one's awareness of social breakdown becoming a real possibility. The intricacies of our modern world and how closely dependant we are on others who live far away become glaringly apparent. One questions how a catastrophic storm—with such a beautiful name, Katrina, meaning "pure"— a thousand miles away can so completely affect our every-day routines to the point of a growing desperation, frustration and, even, fear.