Easter’s Excitement changes as we grow

 Sandy Dickson

    Easter is exciting for many reasons, though a lot of it depends on the phase of your life. When you get old enough to understand the true meaning, the purpose of it shines through in a brilliant way if you are of the Christian faith. It’s the ultimate reason for Christ’s coming to earth in the first place: dying to take on our sins and then rising from His tomb on the 3rd day to continue living in the triune with His heavenly Father. And I’m not being flip about this. I am a devout Christian and believe in God’s word thoroughly, fervently and faithfully. I know it's His desire that everyone would spend eternity with Him.

     Still, I’m thinking of how the concept of Easter has changed as I have. A lot of it, of course, is how parents raise their kids, but in my family, we were told of the Easter bunny, Santa Claus and the tooth fairy. I hope God doesn’t think that’s wrong, though He may, and if He does, I completely understand why He would be ticked. But from the standpoint of a child, or even from general logic, it’s about fanciful childhoods and enjoying it while one still can, as time goes so swiftly and we don’t get to be children that long.

     Besides these two things, the fact that it’s spring is certainly worth celebrating if one lives in cold country. If it’s not warm by then, we know that Easter at least signifies that there’s a light at the end of the long, dark and cold winter tunnel!

     I always knew what Easter was for. I wasn’t denied that explanation of Christ dying and rising again. However, I thought His dying and rising just happened to occur at the same time the Easter bunny came hopping through with his eggs and candy. I wasn’t sure about the connection of the two except that they were simultaneous. 

     I’m pretty sure that the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus, as well as the tooth fairy, provide great leverage for most parents. They can get their kids to do about anything by using threats that if the kids don’t come through, they will get no reward from the expected deliverer. Parents always make it known they are in tight with these guys and can get messages to them about the kid not complying with room-cleaning or other issues of non-compliance. It’s a scare tactic that works for the most part; at least it worked on me.

     I distinctly recall one particular Easter when I was about 4, reasoning that since the Easter Bunny, like Santa Claus, made decisions about the loot he left based on his estimation of conduct of the child, I could make Mom think I glowed in the Easter bunny’s opinion. If I got more eggs than my sister, Mom would think the Easter Bunny obviously viewed me as the more well-behaved child of us two. And the Easter Bunny’s expert summation should be highly valued as wise and accurate.

     It was early Easter morning before anyone else was up and the house was still and quiet. I crept into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator, from which I helped myself to several raw eggs and placed them in my Easter basket. Sure, they were still white and also raw, but I would just explain that the Easter bunny was in a hurry and didn’t have time to dye them, though he felt strongly that I deserved more than my sister for my stellar behavior. As for them being raw, Mom would never know because they were enclosed in the shell and if I said the Easter bunny deemed me deserving of them, she would know that he certainly wouldn’t give me raw ones. I figured I would just slowly sneak them back into her normal stock of eggs and she'd think I had eaten them--after all, why wouldn’t she assume they were indeed hard-boiled with such a reasonable accounting?

     I gave her that explanation when she inquired as to why I had more eggs and the reason they were white. I don’t quite recall what her exact reaction was, but I’m sure my plausible rendition was very unexpected as she slowly nodded understanding, Being a very gentle, mild-mannered person, what could she say without revealing that she happened to know the truth and the Easter bunny did no such thing?

     Then she simply put both the eggs from mine and my sister’s baskets in the frig and that was the end of it. I’m sure she mixed my extra white eggs for the wonderful behavior back in with the regular supply and no more was ever said about it, nor did I give it any more thought. I just figured that she knew now, who was the better of the two of us in the professional evaluation of one as experienced as the Easter bunny and I was happy.

     I’m sure she went into another room and had a good laugh and then quietly repeated the story to many grown-ups. I wish I had asked her about her opinion of the incident years later, but I never thought to and now it’s too late. By now, she has been gone about ten years, enjoying her own eternal salvation because of Easter. 

     And by now too, having grown and left the Easter bunny behind, I am happy about the real meaning of Easter and certainly getting our reward from the expected Deliverer, but also delighted about spring being right around the corner!