On Easter Bunnies and Other Things

We are a very spiritual household...note that I didn't say religious.  Organized religion had a place in our lives while the kids were young but now...not so much.  I still drop in to Mass from time to time but never just on Christmas or Easter.  I refuse to be a C&E.  It's just not how I roll.

So we recognized and paid reverance to yesterday's real meaning, all the while enjoying the family and friends time AND the arrival of the Easter Bunny.  Little bastard showed up and dropped a butt load of candy on my house.  Nice...

Yes, I still prepare Easter baskets for my kids.  Many, many years ago I purchased three Longaberger baskets for them and we use them every year.  They are fairly small which has cut down on  me going over the top (not that I EVER do ANYTHING like that) and when they grow up and move out they can take them with them...and maybe continue a similar tradition.  I don't have any traditions or memories like that so it's nice to do it for my kids.

We dye eggs as well.  They get really excited about it too.  Especially since I broke out the Sharpies a couple of years ago and now they get VERY creative about their eggs and how they are decorated.  It goes much quicker now but I still love to watch them gather around the cups, dipping the eggs in and out until they get just the right color and then carefully placing them in the cardboard holder that Paas provides.  Three almost grown men dying and decorating Easter eggs and bragging to their friends about it...many of whom are envious.  I wonder if their parents realize how much they miss this simple little ritual.

I am fortunate that my drinking never got to the point where I was ruining holidays like my father did.  I controlled it enough that they were in bed (most of the time) before I got too bad.  That said, the last couple of drinking Easters I don't remember much about assembling the baskets and I was very glad we were no longer going to church on Easter morning because my ever present hangover would have made church....ummm...difficult at best.

Now I jump out of bed on Easter morning and start preparations.  (Since they are all teens now - they sleep much later so the late night bunny work can be left to the morning - there are some benefits to them growing up.)  I bring the baskets down, make sure they are perfect, maybe prepare breakfast or just get the hardboiled eggs out.  Later I make the table pretty, arrange flowers in the house, maybe run the vacuum.  All very mundane tasks made sweeter by the gift of sobriety.

Happy Easter Monday everyone.  Hope your Easter Sunday was sweet and that the memories will live in your heart forever.