It was always a special morning. It required early rising, a hurried glance at the sky, and readying the chocolate eggs, the plastic eggs, and the painted hard-boiled eggs.
There was coordination with other parents on the street – always a conspiracy concocted to keep our children distracted, and of course, a backup plan in case of rain. We would take turns with the scattering of eggs that we knew our little ones would be hunting, gathering, counting, and consuming for days to come.
It was a few hours that we loved as well, as parents, part of a set of seasonal rituals that form the recollections of childhood, if we are fortunate. Family traditions that establish stability. A sense of place and belonging.
Hoping for a mild morning, the mothers would hide the eggs, placing them easily in tufts of grass, behind bushes on the sloped terrain of our adjoining back yards, each of which abutted an area of rocky, tangled brush and woods. We had gnarled roots, old terraced retaining walls, plenty of weeds and wild azaleas just beginning to bud. Ideal for placing the chocolate and eggs.
This annual event began when our children were tiny – two years old, toddling about in wide-eyed wonder. Remarkably, our Easter morning hunt continued until they were twelve or thirteen. Of course, they’d long since abandoned the belief that the eggs were placed by anyone but us, yet they allowed the game to go on. By then, we realized how quickly they were changing, that adolescence would soon bear down on us all, and that these moments were increasingly few.
Sixteen years later, my boys and the two girls with whom they shared those many holiday mornings remain best friends.
As parents, we can still see their faces and hear their laughter – poking through the grass and flower beds, plunging toward the edge of the woods, squealing with pleasure at the discovery of each egg. Then, it was their habit to settle on a small patch of make-shift terrace, emptying their baskets for the count, chatting and unwrapping their chocolate cremes and Hershey’s, peeling the hard-boiled eggs, and digging in.
It is a sun-drenched morning. Very quiet. For these next days, an empty nest. Yet sweet memories persist.
Sweet candy and sweet memories … Memories are best, I think. Enjoy your temporarily empty nest.
🙂
If you want to hide chocolate eggs in your yard for me to try to find, just say the word and I’ll be over in a jiffy!
Enjoy your sun-drenched day.
Didn’t even get any chocolate eggs this year. The first time ever, best I can recall. (And my Bunny Costume is temporarily retired.) 🙂
Enjoy your quiet! I may send you a few kids if you don’t! LOL!
It was too quiet. I put on Bravo. (Real Housewives of NY marathon. Perfect.) Now if only there was some chocolate in the house. But… nope!
I love how you shared the yards to share in the holiday. How fun for your kids and it is so sweet they have made lifetime friends too.
Happy Easter to you and yours.
Your last few paragraphs brought me to tears – very poignant. I have two little ones (11 months & 3&1/2 yrs old) but I can imagine how fast those holidays and years go…
Although I like the idea of watching them grow into the wonderful adults that they will be — with LOTS of reminiscing of course 🙂
Love this reminder of what memories are made of…and that they endure. Happy Easter to you!
The only thing Easter in my home today were the memories. Much like your memories. Sweet boys and girls. Neighbors coming together to share in the fun.
The 4 neighbors across the street have small children. They were all together today hiding and hunting eggs. Sharing ham and potato salad. Children running from tree to tree with grass filled baskets. It was fun to watch and hard as hell not to crash the party.
Thanks for this lovely recollection. Yesterday my son found his very first Easter eggs, so our memories are just beginning. I can’t wait for these yearly escapades to be as anticipated by our kids as they are by me. Again, thanks.
Oh, and I hope you got pictures! Some of my favorite family photos are of the four little ones – my two and their two best friends – each year, counting their eggs. 🙂
What a beautiful tradition and beautiful memories for you! Happy Easter to you!
i loved those cadbury creme eggs when i was a kid.
i still buy one for myself around easter time
yum
Even with no kids around, hope you had a restful day, BLW!