Many of us have fond memories of Easter egg hunts from our childhood. I remember my parents hiding about two dozen little plastic colored eggs throughout our yard, and the excitement of going out to hunt for them with my two older brothers on a chilly Easter morning. The joy of finding one of those brightly colored eggs against the drab of the a winter-dead yard was one of the highlights of the day.
Because we didn’t have a lot of money growing up, the Easter eggs didn’t always contain a tiny toy or piece of candy. They often contained little slips of paper that you could turn in for something special in the future. An ice cream at Dairy Cream. A week of not having to dry the dishes (one of our chores). Little thoughts that would mean something to us kids (since not all gifts are instant or materialistic).
This holiday tradition remains fresh in my mind as one of those personal, family traditions I grew up with.
But my mom and dad’s role in this activity was limited to the purchase of the plastic eggs, putting things into them, and then hiding them in the yard. They never participated in the egg hunt, because it was a fun activity for the kids.