my fingers, my mind drifts back to Easters Past.This Easter Eve, is my 66th night before Easter. And my how they have changed over the years. *VBS* Probably the most memorable Easter came on April 6th of 1947. My baby sister was born just as the sun came up that Easter morning. This year was her 60th birthday on the 6th of April... Happy Birthday Pony Girl..*VBS* This picture was taken March 28th, 1948. I was 7, and my little sister almost 1 yr. We all look so young and happy. No snow in this picture, and only light weight Easter clothes. And lucky me! Long white stockings for church instead of the brown cotton ones for everyday wear. New clothes at Easter was something that continued all of our childhood for us girls. There was a new dress of some sort every Easter, and usually they were frilly, ruffled, spring colored and unsuitable for everyday wear. It was like a sign of spring, those new Easter dresses in pastel colors. New shoes, sometimes a new coat for spring. As I grew old, a hat for church and eventually white gloves to complete the outfit.
The Easter bunny never missed us. We may have been a low income family, and one that charged groceries and rented from month to month, but there was always candy, a stuffed animal, maybe a basket... usually a basket, and sometime small toys like jacks or jump ropes, maybe a book or paper dolls. Easter was a special time. We rarely had other family members present for dinner, but it was almost always ham, potatoes, salad, a vegetable and probably a lemon merangie pie for dessert. The house wasn't decorated much, but the Easter Bunny found us anyway..*VBS* I remember the sharp smell of the vinegar being added to the cups of hot water, to set the dye we put in each cup. One year they added little wire holders to sit the egg in, supposedly guaranteed to keep the dye off your fingers...LOL. I remember the decals that we so carefully stuck on the eggs and tried to take off without smearing the design, and the little white wax crayon we used to print our names on the eggs.
My mom wasn't one to hide Easter eggs, a combination of too much work at the end of a long day, and the possibility we wouldn't find them all...oh my...the smell! But I don't feel I missed anything by not having hidden eggs. What we each got was OURS, and the amounts were very equal...nothing to squabble about who had more or most. The biggest challenge was seeing who could hold out the longest before biting the head off the big chocolate rabbit....LOL. I usually won! I always started with his tail or his back where it didn't show..*G*
I remember Easter grass going from a waxy paper shred, to cellaphane shred and eventually to the unshiny paper grass and then the tinsel kind. All in all, it didn't matter what kind of grass was in the basket, it was a mess!!! I feel that way to this day! But of course, you do 'it', cause otherwise it wouldn't be Easter.
As I married and had children the containers for the Easter bunny loot changed from my childhood ones. The goodies might be in a new wagon or doll buggy, or maybe a sandpail or cowboy hat. Almost anything to get away from the collection of baskets. In my husband's family, times were much harder, and once they got a basket, it remained theirs, and was put out empty year after year for the bunny to fill. Much bigger emphasis on the dyed eggs, and less on the candy ones in his family. I rather suspect that most of us carry on part of the traditions of the family we were raised in. Combining that with the memories of our spouse's family and it becomes what our children will carry forward with them.
I was amazed back at Christmas how many of us share a similar experience with christmas stocking containing an apply, orange, mixed nuts to be cracked and some kind of candy, as well as a toy or two...*VBS* I suspect the Easter traditions are similar also, for us born in the 30's, 40's, 50's, etc.
It's been quite a few years now since I have dyed Easter eggs, and I can't say I miss the mess or trying to get those eggs used up. But each Easter I find myself smiling at brightly colored eggs when I see them. Happy Easter Eve Everyone!!!
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16 comments:
Enjoyed your Easter memories. I've been having a few of my own today. I helped my grandsons dye eggs yesterday. We didn't have the cups, but plastic gloves. You held the egg, dripped paint on it, and rubbed it around. Much easier!
Happy Easter to you too. I have many of the same memories as you. The white stockings for church, a new frilly dress and a new hat. I hated the elastic strings on those hats.
I haven't dyed Easter eggs since my children were about 8 or 9 years old. I do remember the smell of vinegar and those wire hangers.
Once again, thanks for bringing some back wonderful memories.
OH, Finn, what memories you have brought back. I probably would have written about the same "story" about my childhood, except my grandparents raised me, along with 12 more children They all were "theirs".My Mother was the oldest, but left me with them from the time I was born, but all the holidays were very special. We had very little but there was an abundance of LOVE.Thanks for bringing back the memories.
Your recollections very nearly describe those that I have as well. Reading yours brought back so many of those memories. Thanks, :)
Ditto here--everyone else has said it all, and I think we're all reminiscing about Easters past! Man, are we getting OLD or what?! LOL! But what nice memories!
I grew up in the late 50's early 60's but have the same memories...new clothes was the biggest deal...we each had an Easter basket year after year that we hid the night before. Then the Easter bunny rehid it so we had to hunt. Usually we'd get jelly beans, colored eggs, and a jumprope or bubbles. One year the Easter bunny hid my older brother's basket in the oven! He searched for the longest time!
Thanks for the Easter memories. We also had the baskets that were used year after year. Everyone wanted to be the first to use the blue egg dye - after one egg it just didn't come out as blue again. As the youngest I always got a stuffed bunny in my basket.
The memories in my mind just now are of my children's delight at their Easter baskets and stuffed animals. Forty- six-year-old DD2 still has her well worn blue bunny. The Easter egg hunts with their cousins which were done in our yard. After dinner the Dads hid the eggs and there would always be a prize one. I remember one was put in the opening of the downspout. It wasn't found until our dog was let loose she found it in no time. Someone peeled it for her to eat.
Sorry about all the typing errors. Guess my memories messed up my fingers. Happy Easter!
Gosh - it's fun to share the same traditions across the miles and across the years. In the 60's I always had a new dress (complete with an itchy slip to make it full) ruffly socks and a pair of white shoes. I don't remember many egg hunts but an abundance of jelly beans and a chocolate bunny. Mmmm.
Happy Easter to you, Finn, thanks for taking me down memory lane.
Ah yes, I remember the new clothes at Easter, too. And they had to last- no outgrowing them, LOL. One year things were a little tight, but I still had a new outfit made by my aunt. The navyblue serge coat was cut from the old dress firefighter uniforms of my Uncle and Grandfather. The dress was red and white candy stripe- don't know where that came from.
I love how we all hang onto the memories of our childhoods, both good and bad.
Thanks for letting us "peek in" on your family while you were growing up. Sounds pretty similar to mine; I was born in the early 60's.
Oh, unfortunately it's too late for me to run out and dye eggs with my kids. We have sometimes done it but tend to make more of a Christmas traditions fuss here. I wish I had now, I want them to remember the fun. Loved your post as usual, LOL Tracey
Finn, I dyed eggs for the first time in my life this year! Was always at boarding school for easter growing up. When the kids came along, my MIL always did the egg hunts and I let it be her thing. The kids were always so excited to go to grandma's to hunt for eggs. Now I have to practice since someday I will be a grandma.
What a beautiful post! Loved seeing the picture of your family too.
Thank you for sharing your Easter memories with us Finn. I really enjoyed reading them. I bought Easter candy after Easter so I could get them half price, and my daughter has already snagged and hidden all of the chocolate. Looks like another run to the store is in order.
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