Some Thoughts On Easter

Easter, so longed for, is gone in a day.

-James Howell-

For over a month now, I’ve watched people prepare for their private Easter celebrations. I’ll go into a store and the person in front of me in line will have their basket full of chocolate bunnies and colorful decorations. One mother will ask another where they found this toy or that toy. Remembering going Easter shopping with my mom, such an exchange always makes me smile. To think that Easter will have come and gone by Monday morning, after so much preparation, is a letdown.

Like Christmas, Easter is a holiday that forces you to socialize with family members you do not see on a daily basis. You have to wear nice clothes. Lunch’s main course will be turkey, chicken, ham or lamb. While the purpose for the holiday was once about celebrating an event in Christ's life, it is now about giving and receiving gifts. It is a special day where no one acts how they normally do because they are told to be on their best behavior.

Since childhood, I have preferred this holiday over Christmas. It is a spring holiday and thus there is a chance at having nice weather. Thanks to the nice weather, people can go outside and aren’t confined to one set of rooms. With the increased space, there are fewer fights. If you are feeling tense, it is natural for you to go for a walk. Though there are presents, they are much smaller and take less time to open. People don’t expect to receive a new car on Easter, so you don’t have to deal with gift disappointment. Because the meal is so large, you can pick and choose what you eat. No one gets offended if you don’t eat something they made because, chances are on a table with six to ten different dishes, you will eat at least something they made. In general, the mood of Easter is far different from the mood of Christmas.

This Sunday, when you are celebrating with your family, wearing shoes that are too tight for you and eating food that you don’t really like, try to enjoy the day anyway. If you have to find fault, wait until the car ride home to complain. Someone, usually an overtired, overworked and unappreciated woman, put a lot of care into everything.