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| Easter egg (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
Easter is the holiest of Christian holidays. Dressing up in fancy clothes and going to church has long been the tradition of many American families. After church, families will often settle down to a special dinner which often includes ham and an assortment of tasty side dishes.
In the recollections of my youth I don't remember the going to church part of the day. I know we went some years, but for the most part, though we attended most Sundays during the year, Easter was a day when we might not attend. Maybe it was a matter of the festivities of the day that might have precluded our attending church service or maybe I'm just not remembering the church part of Easter Day.
My mother always did Easter up almost, but not quite, like Christmas. Many families must do the same considering all of the Easter goodies and decorations that are sold at this time of year. My siblings and I would wake on Easter morning to big festive baskets filled with toys and candy.
It seemed like Easter morning was always a beautiful sunny spring day. After I had entered my teen years and my younger brothers and sister were still young children, I'd go outside and hide plastic candy filled eggs all over the yard. Then the kids would be unleashed scrambling about filling their baskets with the hidden eggs that they had found. I would watch over the proceedings providing them with hints when there were hidden eggs they weren't quite seeing.
The variety of Easter candies was splendid as far as I was concerned. For one thing it was candy and rarely has there been candy that I didn't like. My mother would buy a lot of candy--sugary eggs, marshmallow Peeps, jelly beans, and chocolate bunnies. Since she was well aware of my sweet cravings she even bought me candy in my teen years.
The traditions carried on with my own children. Like my mother had done, I would set up lavish displays of candy-laden baskets, boxed chocolate rabbits, and stuffed animals and other toys. As my kids grew older, I would add books and movies on video to their Easter gifts. In fact, I think there were some years when I did things up even bigger than my mother did. I guess I wanted to provide my own children with the same special memories that I had from growing up.
Now I imagine my daughters are passing on similar traditions to their children. Since I'm not around them at Easter time I don't know exactly how their holiday is celebrated, but I think it's something like what they experienced as children.
As for me now, my wife and I will go to church and then probably eat fast food since restaurants might be crowded and we don't like having to wait. There won't be any candy on Easter morning. The candy will come later. My tradition in the years since my kids moved from home is to go after Easter and buy candy that's on sale the following week. There is usually candy on sale, but I've been noticing that the grocery stores don't have the amounts that they used to have prior to the holiday and the after Easter stocks are sparse. Actually I don't need that candy, but traditions are traditions. I cling to what traditions I can and forget them when they fade away.
Do you carry on any special Easter traditions? What is your favorite Easter candy? How has Easter changed during your lifetime?
Hi Lee - have a good Easter. We always go to Church, have a family lunch and then hunt eggs in the garden .. if the dogs haven't eaten them first! Have a peaceful and blessed time - Hilary
ReplyDeleteHilary, don't let the dogs get sick from too many eggs!
DeleteLee
I haven't observed Easter in well over 25 years, other than colouring eggs with the store bought kits. I was raised Catholic but I must've blocked my memories of church b/c they are vague and sporadic at best. We were always 5 pm Saturday Mass people so I don't recall going on Easter and I never ever dressed up. I do remember getting baskets and I loved all the candy except black jelly beans. Sometimes a stuffed toy. Then hunt for the plastic eggs that had little trinkets inside. Or egg hunts at my aunt's house w/ my cousins.
ReplyDeleteJoJo, I wasn't a fan of the black jelly beans for a while, but then I came to appreciate them. I think we might block out a lot of childhood church memories because that wasn't that much special to remember. Besides my mind would have been distracted thinking of all the candy and fun Easter things.
DeleteLee
Easter was a midnight mass for us, I remember.... only once in a while the Sunday service. Since it's just me and Laurie, we really don't have traditions of our own.
ReplyDeleteCW, now that our kids are gone, my wife and I don't have much in the way of traditions either. A Honey-Baked Ham might be nice, but it's expensive and too much for the two of us to eat. Maybe a ham sandwich from Subway?
DeleteLee
Growing up, our Easter's were much the same as yours. Now that so many older folks in our family have passed on, we tend to celebrate with our church family. We'll have an Easter play tomorrow, then we'll all adjourn for dinner on the grounds, afterward, there will be an EAster egg hunt for all the little kids. Today, we will be dying a week's worth of fresh yard eggs for that hunt. The DIL and Baby Ruth are coming to help us.
ReplyDeleteMy growing up years included church, big dinners and Easter Egg hunts as well. I distinctly remember my grandmother making me and a cousin wear heart shaped white hats one Easter. Made me look like that old Sally Fields character in the tv show, The Flying Nun. . .
ReplyDeleteWe did the same traditions with our daughters. If it rained, we had candy hunts inside. Outside the treats would be hiding beneath the tulips in hubs' parents' backyard and garden.
I made skull-shaped eggs with my egg mold, but that's about it.
ReplyDeleteOf course I go to church, one of the most populated days at church. A new tradition is that my daughter and I go out to eat after church. I don't like peeps. Too sugary. I do like the chocolate marshmallow eggs. I may have eaten 4 cartons by now. ugh.
ReplyDelete