Easter Bunny

We totally do the Easter Bunny!  Do you?  As a Christian, there's so much pressure about these holidays that celebrate Jesus and have pretend characters also attached to them.  Will you "do Santa" when "Jesus is the Reason for the Season?"  Should your kids be excited about the Easter Bunny and forsake all affection for Christ in lieu of chocolate eggs in pastel?  As much as I am being sarcastic about these questions, they really are deep conversations that The Hubs and I have had.  We tried to do Santa (it didn't really work, which is a post for another time... December, perhaps?) but the Easter Bunny has been a bigger success in our home, largely due to the Easter egg hunt on Easter morning, I think.  I copied the idea from my Aunt Rene`, who would hide the foil-wrapped eggs around the house and my cousins would hunt them when they woke up.  Cute and simple - my favorite recipe.

Last night when we got home from hanging with The Fam in Fresburg (as my dad calls it), I crashed on the couch immediately after watching the fourth quarter of Denver vs. Oklahoma - so sad for Denver!  They almost had it!! - probably because The Hubs always wants to watch the recap on Sports Center and I could care less.  But this morning I awoke to a distraught Pinkalicious who was out of her room before 7-0-0 (preschool code for 7am) and saw that "THE EASTER BUNNY NEVER CAME!!!!"  Once again, Quality Mom has struck leaving her daughter's love of pretend friends in her wake.  Hubs got Pinks back into bed and I scrambled for the bag of foiled eggs.  10 minutes later, they were no where to be found! Gripes!!  So at 6:45, The Hubs went zooming to the store while I scribbled a note on construction paper from the Easter Bunny.  Here it is:

Dear Monkey Boy and Pinkalicious,

When I came to your house tonight, there was Miss Elizabeth,
And I had no idea how much fun she was to talk with!
We danced around the room to our hearts' delight.
The playing and laughing lasted all night!
And before we knew it morning had come.
And on no! My job here was not yet done!!
But before I could get started hiding my eggs galore,
You came out of your room!You opened the door!
All my magic is gone. I am just a stuffed bunny.
Until 7:10, you must do something funny:
Lay in your bed with your dad and your brother.
When the coast is all clear, then will come your dear mother
To tell you it's time, the chocolate's here just for you!
Thank you, Sweet Pinkalicious!
I love you!

I left it outside her door with one of her bunnies and her plastic eggs from the school hunt just as Hubs was walking in the door with the candy at 6:58!!  He grabbed Mr. Monkey and went into her room with the stuff while I quickly hid the eggs and dove back into bed (completely forgetting my instructions in the note), texting The Hubs that I was done.  They came out and saw the chocolate trail and basket, woke me up, and started the hunt.

I was sure Miss Analytical would lecture me about my obvious handwriting on the note, and the garage door sound before Dad came into her room, but no!!  It was a mile-a-minute recap of the adventures with Party Hardy Easter Bunny who loves the cat, Miss Elizabeth, and they love to dance and they spent all their time last night having fun and then I broke the magic and the bunny couldn't do my eggs so I had to wait while she did and maybe she wanted to marry Miss Elizabeth and I don't think my stuffed bunny could do it so a stranger probably maybe broke into our house and hid all the eggs or maybe it was The Easter Bunny for reals because she loves us so much and loves Miss Elizabeth and look at all my chocolate and I will leave the blue ones for MonkeyBoy.

Holy Cow!!!!!!  A Success!!!!!!!!!!!  It is amazing to what lengths we will go to keep a promise to our child, and equally amazing that it can bring as much delight to us as to our child to see it fulfilled!

Happy (initially) Secular Easter Celebration 
to you all!! 

May we never define our days by mythical characters, but by Truth! Yet may we always celebrate with chocolate! =)