Easter. I have often had a "bah-humbug" attitude about that holiday.
Perhaps it started from early experience. This is my grandfather's house in Pennsylvania where we lived when I was little. His grocery store was attached on the other side. Later my aunt and uncle moved here so we continued to visit here until the mid 70's when my aunt ended up moving in with my parents in VT.
An early memory of finding my Easter basket hidden behind a chair by the front door where a long phalanx of ants had already found it so that what should have been a delightful assemblage of jelly beans and a chocolate bunny was a swarm of large ants. Of course I cried and upset the adults.
I don't remember if it was the same day, but it had to be Easter because this church down the street was so crowded that I remember my father and I having to stand on the steps outside. My mother must have been occupied with a new baby because she was not there and my father had taken me to church without a hat. I remember that a strange woman plunked a hankie on my head! It made me mad because she embarrassed my dad!
If you are thinking these minor incidents were not enough to ruin a holiday, let me assure you that they are not the only negative associations.
However, the kind efforts of my neighbors to make sure I had a pleasant Easter day softened me a little.
I remember the foods my mother would spend a solid week preparing. It all had to be ready by Saturday evening and displayed on the dining table so that the priest, per Ukrainian tradition, could come and bless the meal.
I found some pictures online:
It all looks so familiar and yummy in my memory. I didn't keep up with any of the traditions.
I guess Kevin and Amy might have memories all associated with the grandmothers. The last time I made Easter baskets Kevin was 19 and he made a disgusted remark about not being a baby anymore. I cried for hours.
Pretty much the sum total of my decorating.
Perhaps it started from early experience. This is my grandfather's house in Pennsylvania where we lived when I was little. His grocery store was attached on the other side. Later my aunt and uncle moved here so we continued to visit here until the mid 70's when my aunt ended up moving in with my parents in VT.
I don't remember if it was the same day, but it had to be Easter because this church down the street was so crowded that I remember my father and I having to stand on the steps outside. My mother must have been occupied with a new baby because she was not there and my father had taken me to church without a hat. I remember that a strange woman plunked a hankie on my head! It made me mad because she embarrassed my dad!
If you are thinking these minor incidents were not enough to ruin a holiday, let me assure you that they are not the only negative associations.
However, the kind efforts of my neighbors to make sure I had a pleasant Easter day softened me a little.
I remember the foods my mother would spend a solid week preparing. It all had to be ready by Saturday evening and displayed on the dining table so that the priest, per Ukrainian tradition, could come and bless the meal.
I found some pictures online:
I guess Kevin and Amy might have memories all associated with the grandmothers. The last time I made Easter baskets Kevin was 19 and he made a disgusted remark about not being a baby anymore. I cried for hours.
Pretty much the sum total of my decorating.
Those were definitely not pleasant memories for certain. To be honest, I don't remember much about Easter either as a child or as a mom. We did dye eggs every so often, and usually dinner was ham and scalloped potatoes. While I try to do something for my grandson, he's only 3. But the holiday itself is just another day for me.
ReplyDeleteTake care and stay well!
It is about hope. Yes the traditions are nice, but remember hope. Hope for better days. Hope for new friends. Hope for those we love.
ReplyDeleteHaha. You are hilarious!
ReplyDeleteI think my most negative association with the holiday besides a hatred for putrid pastel colors is hard boiled eggs. As a child, if you wanted to dye eggs you had to eat them. I would have gladly gave up dying eggs, but my sister wanted to dye eggs...so I still had to eat them. Wretched! Then as an additional punishment, the eggs that were not being consumed at the appropriate rate were then collected and made into egg salad. I had to eat that too. Truly one of life's most horrid concoctions.
ReplyDeleteThat bread looks awesome. Well you really don't have any fun memories about Easter. I have no bad ones and really enjoyed the uncooked egg tosses we had that were such fun. Oh yea, and eating the chocolate bunny one ear at a time.
ReplyDeleteUnlike the comment above, I love hard boiled eggs and egg salad, so I already have a head start on enjoying Easter. And we got candy! We never got candy otherwise, but we had reusable Easter baskets (I still have mine) that Mom had sitting on the kitchen table when we got up in the morning. Mom was a good cook and we always had a big, delicious dinner, usually turkey and all of the trimming. There were usually relatives around too.
ReplyDeleteWe went to church, but we didn't need to wear hats. Easter was a religious holiday when I was a child, but now for me it is a celebration of spring. You told me in a comment why that didn't work for you either, living in a place where spring was a late arrival.
We all have our stories and our traditions. I think it's just fine for you to not like Easter. You get to like what you like.
My mother a stauch roman catholic worked like the dikens at the convent then the rectory..we were so poor, she came home with some food for our huge brood..My dad a non-Catholic cooked a feast and dotted on me - little did I know my mom would be gone by my 16th birthday and my childhood was over..My friends were not roman catholic and treated me and my family better than the roman Catholics, if everyone is suppose to be created in the form of a savior then why can't people be kind and loving to everyone..My hubby is jewish and doesn't attend any temple but treats others always well, he had it even rougher than me the oldest of 8 kids with a dad who created the kids but was never there for them or his mom for that matter..I say why don't people treat people well each and ewveryday..this pandemic really shows what human beings are really like in their hearts and minds..just saying!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteWe were always in the choir, and Easter was busy with services Thursday, Friday, Sunday...
ReplyDeleteMy parents gave us Easter baskets after high school and of course I loved every bit of it. There was our faves of choc and peeps and jelly beans. As we were older we got all those things but less along with things like Xmas gifts in them. I recall getting a couple CD's for my Walkman (LOL)in mine one year. So I didn't mind an Easter basket as an old fart.
ReplyDeleteWe still give our kids and grandkids Easter baskets (well,not this year since we couldn't really get out to buy anything). But we stopped giving individual baskets (except for youngest grand daughter) and went to family Easter baskets for all to share. But Easter is possibly my favorite holiday... love the time of year, love the cute decorations, and love the chocolate! For us growing up, Lent started right after Mardi Gras... and that meant giving up stuff until Easter... usually it was candy. So Easter was highly anticipated... and generally a happy time. It was a religious holiday, but was also a celebration of spring.
ReplyDeleteEaster was hoping that weather had allowed a few early flowers to bloom, attending church service dressed in our best clothes at the time. Most years I think we had dyed eggs in advance which we did eat later. There may have been some jelly beans, minimal chocolate, probably our usual, or maybe a special Sunday dinner — so nothing over-bearing or traumatic there for me. A minimal amount about the Easter Bunny as I recall. Interesting how all holidays have become so commercialized since I was little. I did Easter baskets with my children, coloring eggs, hiding plastic eggs with goodies.
ReplyDelete