My partner and I enjoyed a coffee and chat in bed this morning, while the kids played in the lounge.
Me: Shit, I haven't bought Easter eggs yet! I'm a crap mother!
Partner: I don't get the whole Easter thing. It wasn't a big deal when I was a kid. Hot cross buns on Good Friday, a few Easter eggs on Sunday, that was it. Why do the kids expect something elaborate?
Me: My fault. Remember I organised a really elaborate Easter egg treasure hunt for M when she was four? Now she expects the same thing every year. I made a chocolately rod for my own back.
Partner: The Easter Bunny is just more crass commercialisation, like Santa. Why do we pretend mythical creatures come to our houses on public holidays? We don't tell our children that Michael Joseph Savage sneaks into the house on Labour Day eve to leave us treats.
At this point, our two-year-old son ran into the room, heard what was being said, and began to sing 'Michael Joseph Savage' in a very high-pitched voice.
Partner: Michael Joseph Savage Garden?
2 comments:
I loved the easter egg hunts we had as children - we would follow a trail of four or five smaller eggs (marshmallow eggs, creme eggs, that kind of thing) hidden with clues to finding a big boxed egg. The best thing about it was the way the clues got more difficult as we aged - the younger ones who couldn't read had pictures, the ones who could just read had simple four or five word jokes, and as I got older some of them took on a distinct aspect of the cryptic crossword! I'm sure my mother feels pressure to keep up with our holiday rituals - Easter, a letter from Santa on Christmas morning, and so on. Even so, I quite look forward to continuing it with my own children!
I have to admit, I quite enjoy it too - I just wish I was better organised! The hunt itself, with the clues, is actually the fun bit - otherwise it's just a celebration of pigging out.
Even though my Catholicism is on the verge of utter collapse, I do feel a bit fraught about celebrating Easter in a primarily commercial way, mind you.
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