Happy Easter, to those who celebrate. To those who don't, you're missing out on a holiday that blends the apotheosis of a whole multi-national religion *and* plastic, brightly colored chicken eggs filled with jelly bellies. And sometimes you get ham.
I always found Easter a very odd holiday. Depending on the whims of government officials, we might get Good Friday off, but mostly not. So it's not a holiday that felt relaxed in any way. At our house, there was always a lot of pressure to fit in a lot in a very short amount of time, eat an obscene amount of food, plus you had school on Monday immediately following. AND my folks would have family friends come, or we'd go see them. Which means, as a kid, it was a holiday where you got to wrap it up by cramming in homework while full of ham and jelly bellies whilst over-stimulated. And sometimes while in a moving GMC van.
It's also a holiday where the temps are starting to get hotter in Texas, so it could also be a day where you dressed for church in the morning, but by the time church ended, you were maybe a bit dewy.
Speaking of...
I also remember knowing the jig was up on good Easter baskets as a kid when my mom dropped a stick of Right Guard in my basket circa 5th grade. So, yeah, here's The Good News of Christ's resurrection and the hint that maybe I was aging into an era of getting a little ripe.
As a religious holiday - sure. I like Easter. Who doesn't like knowing you're forgiven and get a pass to Cloud City? As everything else - my feelings are mixed.
This may be because I once ate the ear off Steanso's Easter Bunny which led to me getting as beat up as I ever got in my life. And, frankly, I deserved it. Do not eat the ear off another man's chocolate Easter Bunny.
These days my parents have wised up and host a Saturday Easter celebration at their house so they can do church-related things all day Sunday and not worry about us. Which we did yesterday. Easy squeezy. I ate too much sugar, though, when my niece shoved a "bird's nest" in my face and said "I made these. You have to eat one." and I already had carrot cake on my dessert plate.
My egg hunting this morning was limited to laying in bed while the dog chewed on my hands (her favorite morning activity) and then I ate some Wheaties while trying to remember who Jalen Hurts is, and wondering if he has any scandals afoot.
