# Easter Sunday is Coming and I am the Easter Bunny-just kidding and trying to write a longer title!!



## Ruthanne (Feb 29, 2016)

What do you do for Easter?   What did you do for Easter in years gone by?

Sometimes my brother hosts Easter if he has enough people to invite.  I honestly can't recall what I did last Easter.  When I was a kid we would get all dressed up in our Easter best and go to my grandma and grandpa's house.  That was about 50 years ago though.  I was raised in a Catholic home and had to go to church as we had to every Sunday.  When I would see my aunts and uncles at grandma's house they always had some nice chocolate bunnies for us all.  My parents always got us Easter baskets with all the treats and sometimes even a nice big stuffed bunny.


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## jujube (Feb 29, 2016)

My grandmother was the ultimate Easter Bunny.  Her baskets were works of art and full of all sorts of goodies.  When I was first married, we were living in Turkey and I had just gotten my first sewing machine for Christmas.  I mentioned to Grandma in a letter that I was looking for a sewing box so for Easter, she sent me a lovely sewing chest full of plastic eggs, which in turn were full of spools of thread, needles, seam rippers, etc.   It was a great Easter basket.  

Right now, I'm putting together an Easter basket (using a hand-made basket that was given to my daughter lo so many years ago) for the soon-to-arrive great-grandchild.  Eggs are full of tiny socks, there's an Easter Bunny and a pair of Easter Bunny ears. 

Funny story.....my daughter used to go to church with my parents occasionally and she came home from spending Easter weekend at their house with the following amazing tale:  apparently the Sunday School teacher told them that when Christ was hanging on the cross, a rabbit hopped up and _laid eggs _at the foot of the cross.  Jesus' blood dripped down on the eggs and turned them miraculous colors, thus the first colored Easter eggs.   I had to wonder: #1. Did the teacher have any rudimentary grasp of biology or mammals and #2 Whatever made her think this was an appropriate Easter story to tell young'uns?...KWIM?


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## GeorgiaXplant (Feb 29, 2016)

Sounds familiar except for me it started 71 years ago. The first Easter I remember was during the last year of the war. We were in a hotel in Seattle waiting to board a ship and my mother bought baskets for my older brother and me. We were so excited that the Easter bunny didn't miss us. Those two baskets followed us for many, many years...to Hawaii and back and all through our teen years. Imagine my surprise just a couple of years ago to see baskets exactly like them in...wait for it...Walmart!

After the war we lived way far north on the south shore of Lake Superior so Easter Sunday was hardly ever warm weather and for sure wasn't when Easter was in March. We always had new clothes for Easter and girls had a new Easter bonnet and new shoes for spring. Nobody in church saw our new clothes and shoes because they were covered with our winter coats, sometimes snowpants, too, and overshoes. We did proudly wear our new bonnets, though, even when it was snowing.

We always went to my grandparents' house after Mass where we got more treats...my grandmother made little birds' nests of coconut colored with green food coloring and filled them with jelly beans. She also gave us fruit and nut filled chocolate eggs and little baskets that were made of candy and filled with malted milk balls that were colored on the outside to look like birds' eggs.

Ham for dinner, of course, and usually devilled eggs and a white cake with lemon filling between the layers, covered with 7-minute frosting that was topped with shredded coconut. Ahhhh. I still make a cake like that.

After dinner, the grown ups cleaned up and then napped, while all of us kids were sent off to a movie. Supper was leftovers from dinner and more of that cake.

Easter Monday was a holiday back then, no school for kids and the annual Easter Monday dance for the grown ups. 

Tuesday was back to real life.


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## Ruthanne (Feb 29, 2016)

jujube said:


> My grandmother was the ultimate Easter Bunny.  Her baskets were works of art and full of all sorts of goodies.  When I was first married, we were living in Turkey and I had just gotten my first sewing machine for Christmas.  I mentioned to Grandma in a letter that I was looking for a sewing box so for Easter, she sent me a lovely sewing chest full of plastic eggs, which in turn were full of spools of thread, needles, seam rippers, etc.   It was a great Easter basket.
> 
> Right now, I'm putting together an Easter basket (using a hand-made basket that was given to my daughter lo so many years ago) for the soon-to-arrive great-grandchild.  Eggs are full of tiny socks, there's an Easter Bunny and a pair of Easter Bunny ears.
> 
> Funny story.....my daughter used to go to church with my parents occasionally and she came home from spending Easter weekend at their house with the following amazing tale:  apparently the Sunday School teacher told them that when Christ was hanging on the cross, a rabbit hopped up and _laid eggs at the foot of the cross.  Jesus' blood dripped down on the eggs and turned them miraculous colors, thus the first colored Easter eggs.   I had to wonder: #1. Did the teacher have any rudimentary grasp of biology and #2 Whatever made her think this was an appropriate Easter story to tell young'uns?...KWIM?_


_What a wonderful story about your grandmother!  She sounds so sweet.  As for the eggs being layed at Jesus' feet, I've never heard that one.  Doesn't sound too right.  Strange!



GeorgiaXplant said:



			Sounds familiar except for me it started 71 years ago. The first Easter I remember was during the last year of the war. We were in a hotel in Seattle waiting to board a ship and my mother bought baskets for my older brother and me. We were so excited that the Easter bunny didn't miss us. Those two baskets followed us for many, many years...to Hawaii and back and all through our teen years. Imagine my surprise just a couple of years ago to see baskets exactly like them in...wait for it...Walmart!

After the war we lived way far north on the south shore of Lake Superior so Easter Sunday was hardly ever warm weather and for sure wasn't when Easter was in March. We always had new clothes for Easter and girls had a new Easter bonnet and new shoes for spring. Nobody in church saw our new clothes and shoes because they were covered with our winter coats, sometimes snowpants, too, and overshoes. We did proudly wear our new bonnets, though, even when it was snowing.

We always went to my grandparents' house after Mass where we got more treats...my grandmother made little birds' nests of coconut colored with green food coloring and filled them with jelly beans. She also gave us fruit and nut filled chocolate eggs and little baskets that were made of candy and filled with malted milk balls that were colored on the outside to look like birds' eggs.

Ham for dinner, of course, and usually devilled eggs and a white cake with lemon filling between the layers, covered with 7-minute frosting that was topped with shredded coconut. Ahhhh. I still make a cake like that.

After dinner, the grown ups cleaned up and then napped, while all of us kids were sent off to a movie. Supper was leftovers from dinner and more of that cake.

Easter Monday was a holiday back then, no school for kids and the annual Easter Monday dance for the grown ups. 

Tuesday was back to real life.
		
Click to expand...

That is a great story about your Easters.  There's always something good to remember about the holidays.  That cake sounds like it's to die for!!_


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## jujube (Feb 29, 2016)

Remember the big eggs made of hard sugar that had an Easter scene inside?  You looked through a little window to see the scene.  They usually lasted about an hour or two on Easter Sunday at our house until a fight broke out concerning who got to look next and the egg got dropped.  Crash-smash-end of egg.  

I'm back trying to lose weight again but you can be sure I'm going to go out and buy myself one of those Cadbury Easter eggs and eat it on the way home from the store!


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## SifuPhil (Feb 29, 2016)

Well, having gotten through Anti-Valentine's Day I guess it's time to gear up for Easter.

I've got my 12-gauge pump and FULLY AUTOMATIC ASSAULT WEAPONS ready for rabbit hunting. This year, I'm going to GET that waskaly wabbit! :banana:


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## jnos (Feb 29, 2016)

jujube said:


> Remember the big eggs made of hard sugar that had an Easter scene inside?  You looked through a little window to see the scene.  They usually lasted about an hour or two on Easter Sunday at our house until a fight broke out concerning who got to look next and the egg got dropped.  Crash-smash-end of egg.


Like this? 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





I remember a few of them in my childhood, Nice.


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## GeorgiaXplant (Mar 1, 2016)

jujube...like the picture that jnos posted? They are so pretty! I remember them but never got one. Those are still around. The fruit and nut filled eggs I mentioned are still around, and the nests that my grandmother made can be bought these days, too.

And jujube, Cadbury eggs! They're really much too sweet, but I like biting into one and seeing the "yolk" seep out. Obviously, it doesn't take much to please me


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## Karen99 (Mar 1, 2016)

jnos said:


> Like this?
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I do remember these..they are so pretty.  I don't think I ever got one.  My folks put Easter baskets at the foot of our beds for Easter morning.  We got new Easter outfits and went to church.  We had ham or a bbq usually if the weather was good.


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## Ruthanne (Mar 1, 2016)

jujube said:


> Remember the big eggs made of hard sugar that had an Easter scene inside?  You looked through a little window to see the scene.  They usually lasted about an hour or two on Easter Sunday at our house until a fight broke out concerning who got to look next and the egg got dropped.  Crash-smash-end of egg.
> 
> I'm back trying to lose weight again but you can be sure I'm going to go out and buy myself one of those Cadbury Easter eggs and eat it on the way home from the store!


Yes, I recall the scenic eggs, I can't recall if I ever got one, though, my mind is going...I always eat too much on the holidays, too. lol 



SifuPhil said:


> Well, having gotten through Anti-Valentine's Day I guess it's time to gear up for Easter.
> 
> I've got my 12-gauge pump and FULLY AUTOMATIC ASSAULT WEAPONS ready for rabbit hunting. This year, I'm going to GET that waskaly wabbit! :banana:


Oh no!!!  Look out wabbits!!



jnos said:


> Like this?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Very pretty!



GeorgiaXplant said:


> jujube...like the picture that jnos posted? They are so pretty! I remember them but never got one. Those are still around. The fruit and nut filled eggs I mentioned are still around, and the nests that my grandmother made can be bought these days, too.
> 
> And jujube, Cadbury eggs! They're really much too sweet, but I like biting into one and seeing the "yolk" seep out. Obviously, it doesn't take much to please me


It doesn't take a whole lot to please me either! lol



Karen99 said:


> I do remember these..they are so pretty.  I don't think I ever got one.  My folks put Easter baskets at the foot of our beds for Easter morning.  We got new Easter outfits and went to church.  We had ham or a bbq usually if the weather was good.


I think we had ham on Easter too many years ago.  This year I'll probably have a veggie meal instead.


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## jujube (Mar 1, 2016)

GeorgiaXplant said:


> jujube...like the picture that jnos posted? They are so pretty! I remember them but never got one. Those are still around. The fruit and nut filled eggs I mentioned are still around, and the nests that my grandmother made can be bought these days, too.
> 
> And jujube, Cadbury eggs! They're really much too sweet, but I like biting into one and seeing the "yolk" seep out. Obviously, it doesn't take much to please me



There used to be a particularly delicious Cadbury egg that wasn't sold in the US, so I would stock up on them when I'd go over to Windsor from Detroit.  I can just see it on my record: "Trafficking in Cadbury Easter Eggs"....


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## Ruthanne (Mar 1, 2016)

jujube said:


> There used to be a particularly delicious Cadbury egg that wasn't sold in the US, so I would stock up on them when I'd go over to Windsor from Detroit.  I can just see it on my record: "Trafficking in Cadbury Easter Eggs"....


That's so funny!!! LOL.


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## fureverywhere (Mar 1, 2016)

I remember everybody dressed extra fancy for church on Easter. I doubted a lot of things even as a kid. Okay so Jesus rose up and they hunted eggs and ate chocolate right gotcha...Actually I didn't get much candy. Bad teeth, the bunny brought me books and small toys instead. I still make baskets for immediate family, just a fun tradition.


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## jujube (Mar 2, 2016)

Oh, man, those Easter outfits.  We'd be decked out from head to toe, cute little hats, frilly dresses, new lace-trimmed underwear, white gloves, socks with lace and shiny new mary jane shoes.  One of my sisters, who surprisingly turned into the ultimate fashionista, was a hardcore tomboy and absolutely refused to wear a slip.  Under her girly-girl dress, she'd be wearing cut-off bluejean shorts.


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## fureverywhere (Mar 2, 2016)

One of my best memories of Easter was the year there was a teacher's convention in Chicago. I was still young enough to know you had to be home for the bunny to come. Somehow my parents managed to pack stuff secretly then buy things when we got there. Easter morning I woke up and the bunny had made it to our hotel room. I'll always remember that.


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## NancyNGA (Mar 2, 2016)

My main memory of Easter was coloring Easter eggs with those little kits. When I was really little the Easter bunny came. I do remember leaving a carrot out for him the night before.  He never ate the whole thing, always left enough so you knew he had been there.



SifuPhil said:


> Well, having gotten through Anti-Valentine's Day I guess it's time to gear up for Easter.
> 
> I've got my 12-gauge pump and FULLY AUTOMATIC ASSAULT WEAPONS ready for rabbit hunting. This year, I'm going to GET that waskaly wabbit! :banana:



Phil, go out and get you an egg dyeing (sp?) set and color some hard boiled eggs.  It will put you in the spirit.


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## Butterfly (Mar 2, 2016)

jujube said:


> Oh, man, those Easter outfits.  We'd be decked out from head to toe, cute little hats, frilly dresses, new lace-trimmed underwear, white gloves, socks with lace and shiny new mary jane shoes.  One of my sisters, who surprisingly turned into the ultimate fashionista, was a hardcore tomboy and absolutely refused to wear a slip.  Under her girly-girl dress, she'd be wearing cut-off bluejean shorts.



I remember those outfits, too.  I particularly remember one Easter dress that I really liked.  It was pink and had a big sash to tie in the back with a bow.  I had a pink and white hat and a little purse to go with it.  I was too gorgeous for words in that little outfit.  
And to go out without a slip in that dress -- NEVER!  The frilly little slip was part of the girly-girly coolness of it.  I probably went around showing people my frilly little slip.


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## Capt Lightning (Mar 3, 2016)

We used to boil eggs and then decorate them. On Easter sunday we would go to a convenient hill and roll them down.  If we were lucky we would fing a few edible bits at the bottom!

Here, Easter is barely recognised - just another day. Towns here have 'local' holidays where all the shops etc  would close. Different towns would generally take different days so that things were always available somewhere. Some towns will choose Easter monday as a holiday, otherwise it's business as usual.


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## Ruthanne (Mar 3, 2016)

I remember having a real nice Easter outfit, too.  My mom would make most of my clothes as a young kid.  She sure made some beautiful clothes for us.  Bless her heart!  I liked the Easter hats we wore, too.  I am going to see if I can find a picture of us on Easter.  I know there is one out there somewhere.


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## jujube (Mar 19, 2016)

I will remember to my dying day my first "grownup" Easter dress.  It was a lavender dress of some sort of slubbed silk-like material with a slightly scooped neck, cap sleeves and had a long sash that wound around my waist a couple of times.  It had a full crinolined skirt that "swished" delightfully.  My mother let me get dark lavender dress shoes with a 1" princess heel and a matching purse.  I had a headband-style hat trimmed with lavender flowers.  I must have been about 12.  I truly thought I was on top of the world.  

I'm not sure I've ever had another dress (except maybe my wedding dress) that I loved as much as that one.  I think love like that only comes along once in a lifetime.


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## Guitarist (Mar 19, 2016)

Growing up we got new Easter dresses, shoes, hats, and purses for Easter Sunday at church.  I think maybe the boys got new suits but I don't know, they didn't make a big deal out of their church clothes.  

I only remember a couple of Easter baskets, my parents stopped buying them when I was still really little.  I do remember two stuffed bunnies, and some candy.  The kids next door (family had 5 kids, the oldest my age) got wonderful Easter baskets with candy because their dad was a candy salesman!  We always got to have some of their candy.  

I remember those big frosted eggs with the Easter scene inside.  I also remember hollow chocolate bunnies.  I wanted one all through my childhood and finally when I was 30-something I mentioned that to a friend and she gave me one for Easter.  It was so huge that I never got past its ears.  Much as I love chocolate, and hollow though it was, it was just too much for me.  I got halfway down the ears, then froze the bunny, and finally ended up throwing it away long after Easter. 

I love the Easter hymns at church, and singing in the choir on Palm Sunday as well as Easter.  I only ever went to two outdoor sunrise services.  At least at the second one there was seating so we were comfortable! 

Churches when I was a child didn't have Easter egg hunts.  I still think it's weird for a church to put on such a pagan event at Easter, of all times.  

I do remember that fable about the colored eggs at the foot of the Cross.  Weird juxtaposition, IMO!


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## Ruth n Jersey (Mar 19, 2016)

After Sunday school we went to my Grandma's house for Easter dinner. When I was small I hunted for eggs, got an Easter basket and maybe a stuffed bunny. What stands out in my mind is the scent of hyacinths. My Mom's favorite Easter flowers. My Dad always bought them for her as well as for my Grandma. One year he brought her yellow ones. They were absolutely beautiful! After the flowers died off ,my Mom would plant the bulbs in the garden. They flowered for years, but on occasion the Easter bunny's relatives would eat them. We didn't mind ,we knew Dad would bring more next Easter.


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## Butterfly (Mar 19, 2016)

jujube said:


> I will remember to my dying day my first "grownup" Easter dress.  It was a lavender dress of some sort of slubbed silk-like material with a slightly scooped neck, cap sleeves and had a long sash that wound around my waist a couple of times.  It had a full crinolined skirt that "swished" delightfully.  My mother let me get dark lavender dress shoes with a 1" princess heel and a matching purse.  I had a headband-style hat trimmed with lavender flowers.  I must have been about 12.  I truly thought I was on top of the world.
> 
> I'm not sure I've ever had another dress (except maybe my wedding dress) that I loved as much as that one.  I think love like that only comes along once in a lifetime.



Ooooo -- I thought I was the only one left on the planet that remembered crinolines!!  I also remember my pink Easter dress I talked about above as though it were yesterday -- how it looked and felt and how wonderful I felt in it -- I was probably 6 or 7, though, because my family moved here in '52 or '53 and the dress was while we were still in California.   Funny how those things stick with us, even when we can't remember where we've put our car keys.


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## jujube (Mar 20, 2016)

Butterfly said:


> Ooooo -- I thought I was the only one left on the planet that remembered crinolines!!  I also remember my pink Easter dress I talked about above as though it were yesterday -- how it looked and felt and how wonderful I felt in it -- I was probably 6 or 7, though, because my family moved here in '52 or '53 and the dress was while we were still in California.  * Funny how those things stick with us, even when we can't remember where we've put our car keys*.



We remember the _important_ things.......there's always another set of car keys _somewhere_.


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## Ruthanne (Mar 24, 2016)

Ruth n Jersey said:


> After Sunday school we went to my Grandma's house for Easter dinner. When I was small I hunted for eggs, got an Easter basket and maybe a stuffed bunny. What stands out in my mind is the scent of hyacinths. My Mom's favorite Easter flowers. My Dad always bought them for her as well as for my Grandma. One year he brought her yellow ones. They were absolutely beautiful! After the flowers died off ,my Mom would plant the bulbs in the garden. They flowered for years, but on occasion the Easter bunny's relatives would eat them. We didn't mind ,we knew Dad would bring more next Easter.


we always bought our grandmother plants on Easter, too.


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## jujube (Mar 24, 2016)

I see all the elaborate Easter baskets at the store.  Towering things wrapped in cellophane with toys, etc. inside.  I actually saw one at Walmart last week that had a bubble gun that looked like a machine gun (nothing says "The Joy of Easter" quite like violent toys, huh?)   My mom had an "Easter basket box" up in the attic that she got down every year.  Inside were some rather worn colorful baskets and "grass" that had been used and reused for years until it was pretty pitiful.  As I said before, we got some candy, dyed eggs, plastic eggs filled with jellybeans and the sugar "scene" eggs.  No toys, no money, nothing else.  

On another board, people are outdoing each other bragging about what they are getting their kids for Easter....bicycles, clothes, I-pads, etc.  When did Easter become mini-Christmas? 

I sent an Easter basket for my new great-granddaughter.  It had a little set of bunny ears, a stuffed bunny and plastic eggs stuffed with baby socks (she's a little young for candy and her parents are on a diet).


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## Butterfly (Mar 24, 2016)

jujube said:


> I see all the elaborate Easter baskets at the store.  Towering things wrapped in cellophane with toys, etc. inside.  I actually saw one at Walmart last week that had a bubble gun that looked like a machine gun (nothing says "The Joy of Easter" quite like violent toys, huh?)   My mom had an "Easter basket box" up in the attic that she got down every year.  Inside were some rather worn colorful baskets and "grass" that had been used and reused for years until it was pretty pitiful.  As I said before, we got some candy, dyed eggs, plastic eggs filled with jellybeans and the sugar "scene" eggs.  No toys, no money, nothing else.
> 
> On another board, people are outdoing each other bragging about what they are getting their kids for Easter....bicycles, clothes, I-pads, etc.  When did Easter become mini-Christmas?
> 
> I sent an Easter basket for my new great-granddaughter.  It had a little set of bunny ears, a stuffed bunny and plastic eggs stuffed with baby socks (she's a little young for candy and her parents are on a diet).



I certainly never heard of giving presents at Easter (with the exceptions of lillies or another flowering plant) -- bikes and I-pads for Easter?  Weird.  No wonder kids nowdays feel so entitled!


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## Ruthanne (Mar 26, 2016)

jujube said:


> I see all the elaborate Easter baskets at the store.  Towering things wrapped in cellophane with toys, etc. inside.  I actually saw one at Walmart last week that had a bubble gun that looked like a machine gun (nothing says "The Joy of Easter" quite like violent toys, huh?)   My mom had an "Easter basket box" up in the attic that she got down every year.  Inside were some rather worn colorful baskets and "grass" that had been used and reused for years until it was pretty pitiful.  As I said before, we got some candy, dyed eggs, plastic eggs filled with jellybeans and the sugar "scene" eggs.  No toys, no money, nothing else.
> 
> On another board, people are outdoing each other bragging about what they are getting their kids for Easter....bicycles, clothes, I-pads, etc.  When did Easter become mini-Christmas?
> 
> I sent an Easter basket for my new great-granddaughter.  It had a little set of bunny ears, a stuffed bunny and plastic eggs stuffed with baby socks (she's a little young for candy and her parents are on a diet).



LOL.  Yes, nothing says the joy of Easter like violent guns!!


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