Growing up, my family didn't celebrate Easter. My mom's family was Jewish (although they did celebrate Christmas), and she and my dad weren't religious. They were definitely not into the commercial part of the Easter Bunny thing. I always felt left out of the excitement of looking forward to a basket of treats like many of my friends got. So every year when Easter rolled around, I'd go to my friends' houses to find hidden eggs and eat candy.
When my daughter was born, I wanted her to have all the Easter baskets I never got. So every year, I put together a basket of goodies for her. When she was really young, she believed in the Easter Bunny—although it made her very nervous. Always a cautious child, she would repeatedly confirm with us that the Easter Bunny was not going to "hop into her room." On Easter morning, she would gleefully run out of her room to find a basket full of candy and toys.
Now that she's older, I still put together a basket, but she knows it's just stuff I buy at the store. And, being a teenager, for the most part all she really wants now is money, so I put dollars in some of the little plastic eggs and fill the others with her favorite candy. It's not a day that's filled with religious meaning to us, but it does feel special because it's a day when we make sure to share a family meal (this year we're making ham), and we take time to get each other some treats.
That's what Easter is for our family.
For me personally, Easter is when I think about Spring having arrived. It means that the school year is almost over and it's a time to reflect on what I'm grateful for. And even though I'm not religious, I like to watch all the shows about Jesus on the History Channel. And if I'm being super honest, one of my favorite parts about Easter are the Peeps. Yes, I love those crazy little sugar-covered marshmallows. They used to only sell them around Easter, but now they have them in different shapes and colors for lots of holidays. But I still think the little yellow bunny-shaped Easter Peeps taste the best.
Oh, and I like to take pictures of my dog with bunny ears on.
How do you celebrate Easter?
Three years ago, I hosted 30 people for Easter dinner, bringing both my and my husband's families together, along with many friends. I did all of the prep and pre-cleaning, the cooking (two hams and a chicken!), and the clean-up, and had a wonderful time doing it.
ReplyDeleteThis year I lie on the couch contending with a difficult neurological condition, and my husband lounges on his La-Z-Boy after having kidney surgery this week. We did manage to have boiled eggs for breakfast, and our daughter will bring us plates of ham and other goodies later in the day.
We had a blessing this morning when a friend of our daughter's, who is a nurse who helped care for my husband at the hospital this week, stopped in with two of her little ones, who excitedly told us what the Easter Bunny had brought them. They delivered a beautiful plant with bright ranunculus flowers which we've set on our doorstep. And our neighbors are hosting a gathering with small children - we're watching them fly up and down our street on their bicycles and scooters on this lovely spring day.
It's not been the Easter we'd rather have. I'm a lover of holiday parties, and would have cherished the ability to bring together another large gathering. It's the first year there've been no Easter decorations put out or special foods bought. But the universe has brought us some sweet moments despite our struggles, and we're content.
Thank you so much for sharing your story! How lucky you are to have people in your lives who care for you. Sounds like, even if it's not the celebration that you would have planned for, that you were still able to find some special moments in the day. And being able to appreciate those moments is a blessing!! XO - M
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