Bringin’ Back The Good Ol’ Days Of Easter

Please Take A Moment To Check Out Our Special Featured Bloggers At The Bottom Of This Page

Today’s Topic & What You’ll Learn

• The way Easter was celebrated in my family when I was a child
• How Easter went from just chocolates to include extravagant toys
• Ways to bring back the focus of Easter to include Quality Family Time
• Great ways to save money on Easter purchases
• Establishing new traditions
• Incorporating a “no technology” policy for the dinner table and limiting elsewhere for Easter

Mama Robbins

Oh….the good ol‘ days of Easter. Do you remember what Easter was for you when you were a child? Do you remember waking up on Easter morning almost as excited as you were come Christmas day thinking, “It’s EASTER!!!! The bunny has come!!!” I do….but times have changed, we grew up, and now have kids of our own. |How has Easter become more about the candy, chocolates, gifts and toys? Let’s step back to a moment in time when I was growing up and see where we once were to where we are now. Let’s discover a way together that will bring back what really matters on these holidays……and what is that you may ask? Family!

It was Easter morning when I was a wee little girl, around 4-years-old. The sun had just started to shine through the crack of my curtains. I woke up suddenly when I realized what day it was. It was EASTER! I jumped out of bed, threw on my sweater and out my bedroom door I went. Running as fast as my feet could carry me into my parents’ bedroom. As I jumped on the bed I yelled, “Mommy….Daddy! It’s Easter morning!!! The bunny has come and I want to get my chocolates! Get Up, Get Up, Get Up!!!”

It was “procedure” in my home before we could start collecting our goodies my parents’ needed to be awake. As I am a parent myself, I now realize it was to enjoy the experience with me. As I went from room to room collecting all the chocolates that were left by Mr Bunny, I remember how much joy I had. Once the adventure of collecting all my candy was complete, we did a family movie. Mom, dad, myself and my puppy Tiny sat on the couch and I was able to pick whatever I wanted. (I think it was Dumbo?) For the longest time as a child, around Easter, we usually still had some snow on the ground. But for some reason, Easter Day it always seemed to rain and the dirt in our driveway always became muddy. Oh….how I loved the mud. However, I don’t think my mom was quite as much of a fan as I was….“Sorry mom. I may have messed up your floors a tad.” Nonetheless, she would let me go play in the puddles until supper.

Supper was the most famous of it all. I remember, though it was exciting to wake up in the morning and gather all the chocolates, nothing compared to the excitement of all my family coming over and my mom cooking a big feast! Turkey, potatoes, carrots, broccoli, cob corn, cranberries, hot apple pie, you name it! I may be a little bias, but I LOVE my moms cooking! Around 2pm my four cousins would show up with my Uncle Ron! Later in the afternoon my sister, my aunts, and uncles and my grandparents would also come over. Our family dinner usually consisted of 12 to 18 people.

Once supper was ready, mom yelled at us to come in. As we knew what was going to be on the table, there was never any fight to come back home. We ran into the house, got cleaned up and that is when the magic happened. The experience we would tell and the stories we would share. It all made Easter one of my favourite days of the year.

Fast forward to age 6…..I was up Easter morning more excited than ever! Why? As I go to collect my chocolate I found a clue, “I’m in the room where you have cable. Maybe look under the living room table”. I head to the living room and see a small box just in my vision….I reached under and grabbed the flashy coloured box. It was a felt craft! Mr Bunny started to leave me gifts! With that craft box, I found another clue. “In my bedroom, I may hide. This door can swing from side to side”. I went to my room and discovered it was in my closet! What was it? A Polly Pocket Set! ——–Okay, first off. As I’m writing this…wow…the memories….Polly Pocket Set???? I miss those things….Anywho…as tradition would carry on, the family started to come over around 2pm, followed by the rest. My cousins and I still played outside in the mud, because it never seemed to fail to rain that day, and the converstions at the table were just as they always had been.

Hop, skip, and a jump to 2019…..I hear other parents tell me how they have chocolates, candy bars, LOL dolls, monster trucks, and some are even purchasing those $400 Electric Kids Cars and doing a “finale” in their garage! “You are doing WHAT!!!????” Um….I seriously feel we are forgetting what holiday we are in. Plus, from other Easters I have witnessed with friends, it all ends up where the kids go play alone with their toys as they have interest in nothing else. If the family has come over they all round up in the living room and sit on their phones or turn on the TV. Don’t get me wrong, some of them “do talk”, but it’s usually, “Did you hear so and so did this, or so and so did that?”. I would say 90% of the conversation is negative talk. Come supper, no one has anything good to say about anyone, or they all talk about how their lives are completely falling apart. Oh boy…… I understand wanting to vent about issues, but there is a time and a place. So….what am I suggesting we do about it?

$$Stop Spending So Much Money$$

Let me ask you. Do you ever feel sometimes your kids are less appreciative towards the things they receive? You may get them a toy and they complain it wasn’t the right one, or it’s not what they wanted. Now, the “Easter Bunny” is bringing them all this “stuff” and they can’t even thank YOU for it! The credit is going to Mr Buggs over there. Yes, you can see the joy they have of receiving such a miraculous gift, but it sets an expectation he will ALWAYS bring extravagant things. Easter, though you can make it whatever you want, should remain a …..simple and fun day.

However, if you can’t help yourself and you feel the urge to buy, here are some ideas on a budget:

• Dollar Store! – You can buy tons of little re-usable plastic eggs that open. You can put erasers, stickers, tattoos, hair clips, bracelets, lego pieces, etc inside them. This is a great help to replacing so much junk food.

• Dollar Store! – You can also go down the craft section and buy colouring books, pencils, crayons, paper, notebooks, reading books, crafts, etc for “larger” type purchases. Remember, keep it small!
• Dollar Store! – You can purchase all your chocolate here. Why? Because they are young and I hope they haven’t aquired a taste for the expensive stuff yet. Plus, this will save you quite a bit when you spend $1.50 on a bag of chocolates, compared to other places that charge $4.50 per bag. (Canadian Dollars here, to note the difference)

Notice a trend there? 🙂 Dollar Store = Great Things

Be Actively Engaged With Your Kids

It’s only one day, but it should be a day your kids will remember. A day that mom, dad, aunti, uncle, grandma, grandpa, or whoever spends actual quality time with their kids. If they receive toys, get down on the floor with them and play. (if this is optional of course) Ask them if they want to go play outside. If it is raining and not too cold, get dress appropriately and go nuts. it all washes off eventually. Play some board games, makeup games, but be actively engaged with them.

Limit The Device Use

You can even make it fun by giving everyone a pin when they come in, kind of like what would happen at a baby shower, but if you catch anyone looking at their phone, turning on the TV, playing with a device, you get to take their ribbon. Whoever has the most at the end of the evening can win a prize. Above all, NO CELL PHONES AT THE TABLE! Turn them off, put them on silent, or if you need it on, keep it in another room where you can hear it. Unless it is an absolute emergency, leave it alone!

Create A Family Tradition

We all have family traditions. Something we carry on over the generations. If mealtime is a family tradition. Fantastic, keep it up! Try to make mealtime the focal point of the day. Talk about positive experiences you had as a child, as you grew older or even today. Ask your kids questions about their day, keep them included in the conversation. Kids can be inspired by the stories their parents tell. They think, “I want to grow up and be just like my mom or dad!”

I know as a parent we sometimes have the feeling, “I just want to provide my child with more than I had has a kid”. But remember this….toys and gifts will come and go….but memories will last forever!

Until Next Time – Follow Me: Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, & Instagram.

Sincerely,

Mama Robbins

Special Featured Bloggers

Welcome to our Special Featured Bloggers section where you get to enjoy some incredible Blogs written by other incredible people!