one of my favorite holidays growing up was easter. my father loved easter, and always went out of his way to make it fun for us. we had the requisite easter baskets, usually one of the prepackaged, pre-filled ones from the closest department store (we were a family of 4 kids born in 6 years, after all), but i always loved mine. the best part of the day was the easter egg hunt. dad would fill the plastic easter eggs with small change and “hide” them around the house (my father was disabled and not-so-agile, so most of the eggs were at about waist level, in plain sight). we would race around until we had found them all.
this year is the first that neither of my kids believe in the easter bunny anymore. here’s the funny thing about that though: they both still expect baskets and booty from the fictional bunny. as a mother, i certainly don’t want to disappoint them, but this year i wanted to focus on “less is more” and so i scaled things back some. instead of large, overstuffed baskets, i made them easter bunny bags to hold their candy (http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/holiday-ideas/easter-table-decorations), an idea i got from Good Housekeeping Magazine. they were easy to make, and more importantly, they were quick, since it was 10pm on easter eve before i got to actually assemble said bunnies. the other good thing about these little bunnies is that they form an enclosed space within which the contents must conform; no candy or toys spilling out over the tops and the sides…another reminder for me not to go “over the top” with filling them. i did, of course, fill the plastic eggs with small change for the egg hunt. even though the morning will be rushed, with us getting ready to drive an hour and a half to have dinner with family out-of-state, and the older child getting ready to go to work, we will have our traditional egg hunt.
i would not want to miss that opportunity to honor my dad. 🙂
what easter rituals does your family have? are they carried over from your childhood?
Karen Creamer Author, Coach, Speaker 
jody, your easter holidays sound so warm and homey and loving. i forgot about my easter outfits (always a dress in a shade of lavender, a color that i associate with easter to this day)…thanks for sharing your memories; plus, i LOVE it that you hide eggs and forget where. that happened to me this year too, so i’m feeling soooo much better about that now that i know there is an element of universality in it (in everything?) 🙂
Easter…my favorite holiday by far! The visual stimulous ( spring pastels,cute furry bunnies and chicks, colored eggs, flowers, return of the birds); olfactory stimulous ( Easter Lily..Hyacinths…) need I mention taste?? Chocolate; that heavenly elixir that soothes all! And most impressed upon my psychi is the spiritual and emotional responses. My family made Easter a joyous holiday as well; everything from the new Easter outfit for all ( we were a small family of some means to do this), Easter baskets complete with furry bunnie, lamb or chick..easter egg hunt ( my brother could care less so it was just me! ), church ( love the songs and the Christ story) then breakfast out and to complete the ritual a huge Easter dinner at Grandmom’s that usually included merangue (sp) nests with green coconut grass and jelly beans eggs! Today I continue to keep the ritual alive as best I can. I make my own Easter basket, attend a spiritual ceremony of some kind and I even “hid” my own colored eggs this year! Seriously I can hide 10 eggs and forget where 1/2 of them are so it was fun!! The “big dinner” this year was a wine, cheese, bread and chocolate feast on the beach!
My dear sister sent me a Boyd’s bunny holding a chick ( too cute)..and I received much love from other family and friends. The renewal of Spring, hope and new beginnings associated with this season is the biggest blessing!