Hippity-hoppity..............

GAH! Why is Easter so early this year? I really think that's a crock of shit, this business of Easter being at different times of the year. I know it has something to do with the Pentecost or Palm Sunday or Good Friday or something but the Catholic in me has forgotten the specifics. And what does it matter anyway? The point is, Easter is in MARCH this year and it feels way too close to the last major holiday, St. Patrick's Day.

The thing is, we didn't do ANYTHING for St. Patrick's day. No decorations, no parties, not even frosted shamrock cookies. We're so BORING now. We used to party it up for every occasion, and now? Not so much. For one thing, no one's clamoring at me to get the decorations out (they mostly only care about that at Christmas). So, it's kind of hard to remember the holiday without all the visual reminders. But Easter feels like Christmas "light" to me. There are still gifts to give, albeit on a much smaller scale, and plenty of candy to buy. Easter baskets are basically wicker stockings.

But once your kids are teenagers, Easter baskets are kind of hard to fill. I used to do bubbles, outdoor toys, sidewalk chalk, arts and crafts supplies. Plus a new spring outfit and maybe a movie. Now, it's easy enough to stuff the basket with chocolate and jelly beans, but the "gift" part of it is harder. Today, when shopping with Hannah, I asked if we should color eggs. Her reply? "Nah!" Whaaattt? No colored eggs? I made her buy one egg kit so we could at least do a dozen eggs. All this tradition. I'm a slave to it.

We don't have a big family celebration, since we're the only family we have here, so I never worry about ordering my spiral-cut ham or slaving over a traditional meal. In fact, while shopping, I heard an ad over the speakers for a ready-made meal of ham or a quiche brunch with all the fixings for fifty bucks. Sounds good to me! One year we realized we would be at the beach camping on Easter Sunday. Unfazed, I just swapped out my baskets for buckets and shovels and we had a ball!

I know all of this is not the "true meaning" of Easter. Easter is about new life, eternal life, Jesus beating it out of the tomb and high-stepping it to Heaven where he sits eternally at the right hand of his father (what's wrong with the left hand? I'm partial to it). But, we're heathens, and haven't gone to church in years, so Easter has become a commercialized pagan celebration. Gah! We're doomed.

Still, Easter brings the promise of spring, and that's nice. Nothing beats longer days, more light, and warm temperatures. Tonight, my son went outside after 7 p.m. and said "Wow, it's still so light out!" and then when he came inside he kissed me on the cheek and said "It feels like a summer night!" Later, I found him and his sister on the deck, singing a duet while he played guitar. Yeah, I could get used to this. C'mon, Easter! And bring spring with you.