When I was growing up, Easter meant going to church, Easter Lillies, getting Easter baskets filled with candy, the occasional Easter egg hunt, and family dinners. Most of our Easter dinners weren’t gatherings at someone’s house, but rather dinner at our house with Mom and Dad or a nice restaurant. Gatherings at family homes were reserved for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and birthdays.
One Easter, our family, my Aunt Ruth’s crew, Uncle Don’s family, and my Uncle Harry Barner’s family met at the Sylvan Glen Golf Course for dinner. My Aunt Phillis, Harry’s wife, set the whole thing up. While many such events were elaborate buffets, this was an order off the menu affair. While other kids may have ordered what they wanted, I always perused the price side of the menu before ordering. On this particular Sunday I ordered the chopped steak at $3.95. I was sitting next to my dad who said, “Order the New York if you want a steak. Just eat it all.” When the server asked how I wanted it prepared, I didn’t know what to say, so Dad ordered for me. It was $2.00 more and my first real steak dinner in a fancy restaurant.
We didn’t have school on Good Friday, the Friday before Easter, but we did go to church. I was raised Catholic, so we celebrated the stations of the cross and listened to the story of the crucifixion.
My dad took me with him to confession the day before Easter. Easter and Christmas were the two times he took me with him. I went on my own other times. I didn’t like going to confession as I had to think about what I was going to confess. I knew I had “sinned”, but I didn’t want to sound too bad, so I was selective with what I confessed.
I think my dad told all. He spent a lot more time in the confessional and had to say several more prayers than I did. I don’t think he sinned more than me, but he was more willing to confess what he’d done.
When we went out for Easter dinner, I had to get dressed up. Dressing up meant wearing a shirt and tie, occasionally, but seldom, a sport coat, and always polished dress shoes. Most years I got new dress shoes because last year’s shoes were too small. My sisters got fancy outfits, and sometimes, they matched. Easter also meant new spring clothes, with white gloves and fancy hats for the ladies. We called them Easter bonnets
Our easter baskets were brightly colored and featured a large chocolate rabbit. The rabbits were hollow. Only kids from wealthy families got solid chocolate rabbits. We weren’t wealthy.
We got dozens of jellybeans, marshmallow baby chicks (not my fav), cream filled candy eggs, and solid chocolate eggs wrapped in colorful foil (my fav).
Early on it meant getting our picture with the Easter Bunny much like the times we visited Santa Claus at the department store. When we saw Santa, we told him what we wanted for Christmas.
During the Easter season, we just got our picture taken with the bunny. It was merely a photo shoot. This one features a shot of my sister, Sharron, and me. (Before I get emails, texts, and Facebook comments regarding the picture from my sister, Jackie, you’re not in it because you weren’t born yet. Besides, Sharron and I look like we just got off the boat in this shot.)
Happy Easter.