As kids many of us got an Easter basket. My basket was nothing special and the grass hid all that candy that I wanted to badly. I never understood the purpose of the grass as it made the candy harder to find. There were the standard jelly beans. No gourmet beans back in those days. The red and orange beans were my favorite. I would hand the other colors to my dad. We had those marshmallow chicks that made you sick before you got to breakfast. The prize was the chocolate bunny. I think I always got a hollow one and not the solid bunny. Chewing off his ears was almost mean. That and the hard boiled eggs made up my Easter hunt. Today Easter has gotten more sophisticated. There are so many more candies that can be put in the baskets. The baskets have gotten into themes. You can have a Hello Kitty basket. They now sell toys for the holiday. Buy a chick, wind it up, and watch it strut around your floor. The plastic eggs are popular as you kind hide prizes or money in them. With all the type A people in our society now, I am guessing these egg hunts can get savage. Most of all I think of Easter as the dress, sweater, Patten shoes, straw purse, white gloves, and the hat with the elastic band that chocked me as I sat in church. We were totally outfitted for this day of celebration. Not always in Minnesota could we pull off wearing those new shoes as sometimes boots were called for. Sadly, this movement has gone only to the children. I find it ironic that a small girl will be in her Easter outfit and her mom will have jeans on. We seem not to keep this tradition going as we grow older. Yet, go to an inner city church and you will see a different scene. Members of those congregations know how to dress for this holiday. We attended church as a family several years ago in an inner city church and we felt so meek sitting in our every day clothes. Those around us had hats that belonged in the Easter parade. Memories are good. Tomorrow I will raid my granddaughter's Easter basket for those red jelly beans.
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