Easter

Here's a fact: Easter won't fall on March 23rd again until the year 2160. Will the earth even be around then?

As I look out the window at the snow that's newly blanketed my backyard, I wonder if in the year 2160 global warming will have made it so that every child north of I-88 can find their easter eggs outside, no matter what day Easter falls on?

I can only recall having an Easter green-enough and warm-enough, that my mom hid the eggs outside, only one time. One time in 12 good years of easter egg hunting (no make that 15 years, my younger brother needed egg hunting competition). I imagine that was a special year for my mom, who discovered a whole new playground of hiding spots, other than the usual: in the vase, behind the picture frame, on top of the mirror...

Tony and me with our loot. Pre-requisital gold furniture in background -- c. 1981

My mom always made up the best Easter baskets. They always had tons of toys and candy, wrapped up in colored cellophane. I remember the year I got my favorite shoes: blue, velcro, smurf gym shoes. I never thought I could be any cooler when I was sporting those...

The most poignant part about Easter was the new frilly dress I got to wear. The more frills the better, I was after all a girlie-girl. My family was law-abiding citizens of the no white until Springtime rule. Easter meant banishing the black patent leathers for a new pair of white un-scoffed mary janes which would inevitably be scoffed up by the end of the day. After we took the family photos -- in the living room of course (The only times we went in the living room were for family photos and opening Christmas presents) -- then we were off to church... a part of the day I don't ever remember.

Yellow dress, yellow tights. c.1981

The rest of the day was spent at my grandparents, who never got dressed or went to church because they were the "cooks." The table was always filled with a feast to feed an army -- or an Italian family. It was always happy as we crammed into the table in the kitchen -- getting more and more crammed as we added spouses and more kids to the family.

Then came the finale ... the watching of the "film." The 4-hour long Easter ritual called "The Ten Commandments." Easter wasn't easter unless part of the day was spent in front of the television watching Charlton Heston in a toga. Two parts of the movie always amazed me: 1) I never understood why Moses chose to leave his nice "adopted" mom to live in poverty with those other people and 2) I always thanked god that I wasn't a first born boy each time the angel of death scene came on. What 8 year old isn't spooked into believing in god after seeing that?

So that was Easter circa 1981. Dresses, eggs, easter baskets, chocolate covered marshmallow bunny rabbits, baked ham ... and our good friend, Charleton Heston (aka Moses).