With Easter coming up, I have spent a little bit of time trying to decide how we will treat Easter (and the Easter Bunny) in our house. This is the first year that Sam will really understand what is going on, and I realize that this year will set a precedent for future Easter holidays.When I was young (but old enough to remember), my mom wrote a letter to the Easter Bunny, asking him to not bring candy to our house anymore. Instead, she asked the Easter Bunny to bring small toys and books to the kids in our family. This letter won't be surprising to people that knew my mom and her interest in healthy food. In fact, the gesture is so characteristic of my mom, I wanted to write it down here so that I would remember it.
I can't remember if my mom's letter explained why the Easter Bunny shouldn't bring candy (she may have explained something along the lines that we didn't eat sugar or that "we have allergies"), but I remember that gathered all the kids and had us sign the letter. I guess she wanted to make sure that we didn't entertain false expectations for what the Easter Bunny would bring that year.
Yesterday I was asking V if she remembered the letter, and she said she only had a vague recollection of signing something. I'm going to have to ask A if he remembers the letter; I bet he and I were more distraught over the loss of candy than anyone else. I wonder if my mom ever kept the letter, too. It would be fun to see it again, especially with all of our signatures at the bottom.
That being said, though, Easter was still a fun time in our house. Even though we didn't get candy, the Easter Bunny took great pains to bring us special things. I remember getting a rubber stamp collection one year (remember when stamps were huge in the '90s?) and a fuzzy bunny keychain that could actually hop. The Easter Bunny would also try to bring things that were religious as well - as we got older, we used to feign surprise that the Easter Bunny had given us something exclusively available at Deseret Book.
What Easter traditions did you have in your home? Any suggestions for how we should treat Easter in my little family? Did the Easter Bunny bring candy to you as a kid, or did your mom write him a letter as well?
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I didn't know that you had this tratition. I'm not surprised at all by the letter, but I think it was a very clever idea especially to have all the kids sign it. So Monica, what are you going to do?!?
I miss your mom! She was one of a kind and her letter was perfect. I love how she had you each sign it. I am sure your tradition that you start with your little guy will be exactly right.
Becky
what a good idea! your mom sounds like she was one amazing, original woman. :) we always got some little toy like a new pack of markers or coloring book. can't remember what we got as we got older, but yes, there was ALWAYS candy. i try to keep it to a minimum with my kids - their easter "baskets" are actually little metal buckets that (with some grass stuffing and a gift inside) only hold like 3 or 4 eggs! that's all the candy they get. then i usually give them a picture of Christ or something to remember the true meaning of Easter.
oops, the above comment was from me, not my husband...
That's really cute! I only met your mom once, but I love reading about your memories of her...sounds like she was such a special lady.
We don't have any really unique traditions... just the usual stuff- dying the eggs, the hunt, etc. I do want to figure out something to do to bring in the spiritual implications though...
As far as things we received from the Easter Bunny, sometimes Easter was comparable to Christmas at our house; one time I even got a bike! I think my parents sort of realized the excess and toned it down in subsequent Easters, but there was no letter. Still, we usually got plenty of candy, and plastic eggs and easter grass abounded.
As I think about my kids, I look back with a wince on those early gluttonous Easters and think that it may not be ok to even have an Easter Bunny. But that seems puritan and iconoclastic and awkward if their friends start asking, "what'd the Easter Bunny bring you?" So maybe some dyed (real) eggs, but I never thought of religious gifts! That's a great idea!
Above all, I just want Easter not to be another "holiday when you get stuff." So what kind of religious things did y'all do? Sometimes the Easter Bunny would come to our house on Saturday instead of Sunday, but I'm not sure that's enough. I'm curious to read Eric Huntsman's new book about Easter and traditional Christian customs. I know he and his family do an "Easter crèche," and maybe that's a good idea.
It will be interesting to see what I end up doing. I don't mind if Sam has a little candy, but I don't want things to be too excessive. I also like the idea of smaller gifts as well.
Jon, our religious gifts were usually small and often practical: scripture marking pencils (the special ones that have 15 different colors), religious stickers, some type of movie or coloring book.
The Easter "creche" idea is quite interesting and unique. I've never heard of that one before!
When our children were little and after a few Easter celebrations we decided we wanted to keep the Easter Bunny and Christ separate. That didn't always work the way we planned, the point being we tried. We dyed eggs hid and hunted for them and the children got small Easter baskets and something new to wear and they always got something religious, a book, coloring book, a picture of Jesus, a new CTR ring. The eggs and basket events happened on Saturday leaving Sunday for Jesus. That takes preplanning and sometimes saying no to other activities planned by family or neighbors, but if you plan the egg hunt you have the option of when to have it. Also, Deseret Book does a lousy job with children's books and religious items, I hate to give them any support and hide my eyes as I pass the anti-mormon section, but other religions to a much better job at providing seasonal children's books, activity and coloring books. Let us know what you decide to do. Remember that when things don't go the way you like, change them up, we remember more than our children do, because we feel like we are short changing them. Make your own happy traditions.
Irene in Bellevue
My mom always had baskets waiting on the kitchen table in the morning when we came down for breakfast. That was a nice memory, seeing what would be on the table at our place. I think she kept it toned down, it was usually a stuffed animal and a couple candies (usually a chocolate bunny). I loved those stuffed animals, though, I just opened a box last night and found a few of them that I remember getting at Easter. I do know that she didn't really emphasize the religious aspect of Easter. She did explain to me that at Easter we celebrated the Resurrection in church, but I think she sort of understood that it was a stretch to connect bunny rabbits with Christ. I always thought of those baskets as more of a "happy spring" gift. By the way, I was just thinking this morning what will I do about Easter, so I'm glad you brought this up, it's been interesting to read the comments.
Check out these 2 ideas:
http://sherriejohnson.blogspot.com/2011/04/maundy-thursday-is-coming.html
http://radio.lds.org/programs/mormon-identities-episode-47?lang=eng
hey M, check these ideas out:
http://familyvolley.blogspot.com/2011/04/easter-egg-hunts-more-than-just-candy.html
I love her #5 idea - I'm giving the kids a picture of Christ with children, so maybe I'll create puzzles out of them and hide the pieces in Easter eggs. I think they'd love it!
My mom hid our easter baskets and we had scavenger hunts for them, with clues.
Since having a family of my own, we have fish and honey on easter instead of ham, because that is what Jesus ate after he was resurrected. We also always got an easter dress...not sure that is what Sam wants though!
I am planning on making one of those egg/easter lesson egg crates where each plastic egg contains a symbol of the atonement and resurrection.
Oh, and we ALWAYS watched "Ben Hur" on Easter Sunday.
I like the fish and honey tradition!
Thanks for the suggestions, everyone! It was fun to read about what other people have done with their families. (I think that the fish and honey tradition is fun, too, Rachael!)
I'm sure that whatever we end up doing will be just right for our little family.
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