I hope that your Easter holidays are going very well. Even though I wasn’t the recipient of any Easter eggs and treats this time around, I was able to sneak a nibble of our grandchildren’s stash. Over that very special weekend my wife and I really enjoyed celebrating the true meaning of the occasion by attending the traditional church services, as well as visiting with family and friends.
Although Easter is marked in different ways in countries throughout the world and has changed somewhat over the years, it will always be a Christian festival that celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and the most important holy day of the Christian religion. Other long-standing traditions of Easter are the eggs, which represent the new life that returns to nature in the spring; the Easter lily; and the Rabbit, who symbolizes birth and new life, and are the messengers assigned to deliver the decorated eggs as Easter gifts for children of all ages. What traditions of Easter have stayed the same, and how have they changed.
*Easter egg rolling is a custom practiced in several countries. The most famous rolling takes place on the immaculate lawn of the White House lawn in Washington, D.C., where thousands have gathered since 1878 to roll the decorated eggs.
*Many children and adults have always enjoyed painting and dying eggs at Easter time. The secret has always been to make sure that they are really hard-boiled and could withstand all the vigorous handling and brush strokes. I fondly remember once in school when I brought my hard boiled eggs all the way to school in my lunch kit for paint-up day, but dropped the old steel box in all my excitement and they became instantly scrambled. Once the eggs were finished and dry they were placed in gaily-decorated baskets and shared with other classmates, or taken home to mom.
*Just like all other holidays Easter has become some what commercialized. Three weeks before the event they start selling three foot chocolate eggs, bunny videos, and Disney characters in nine flavours, only to mention a few. No wonder the kids need a long holiday.... it usually takes them a week to unwind.
*I am sure that they still have Easter egg hunts around most homes with young duffers? It was just about as much fun as Christmas getting up early and searching for all sorts of chocolate and candy treats all around the house and outside in the yard. Dad had gone back to bed, because it was his job to hide them all at 3 a.m., while mom is supervising to make sure that everyone shares, then reminds us that there is no nibbling until after breakfast, church, and chores. At our house during our first Easters in Canada we were so poor we had to make do with jellybeans.
*Is the annual Easter parade still as popular as it used to be? How neat it was to see all the ladies in their gala bonnets and spring outfits, followed closely by the gentleman strutting in their top hats and tales. I understand that this is still the main spring event for thousands along Fifth Avenue New York each and every Easter Sunday.
*Because I did not get my chocolate fix this Easter, I took my hunger pangs out on the poor old turkey. After three helpings and all the trimmings I will spend the next week joining many of you slowly hopping around the neighbourhood trying to shed the extra pounds. This year I really enjoyed reading pop-up stories to my energetic grandchildren; and thank goodness it was too cold outside to hide eggs or go on a bunny hunt. We completed our gala babysitting day by playing catch with several plastic Easter eggs, then all fell asleep watching Bugs and all the other wabbits and their assorted forest friends.
Just a little of this and that.
*Remember.... once you get over the hill you’ll begin to pick up speed.
*Everyone has a photographic memory, but some like yours truly don’t have much film.
*A balanced diet is a cookie in each hand.
*Middle age is when broadness of the mind and narrowness of the waste change places.
*Remember when we dawned our black rubber boots and spent hours floating our stick boats in fun races down the neighbourhood spring run-off rivers? While out on a stroll the other day I witnessed a group of little buddies enjoying exactly the same fun, except, they were running along chatting on cell phones to announce the exciting play by play progress of the contest to the gang huddled at the finish line. Enjoy spring, share your chocolate treats and have a great week, all of you.