Most families have Easter traditions they enjoy and hope to pass along to the next generation. Growing up, getting a new Easter outfit was a biggie. You didn’t want to show up in your regular church clothes for Resurrection Sunday.
Mama always made sure us girls had a new dresses and shoes – maybe a hat, gloves or purse to match, if we were doing well. My brothers got new suits and shoes (or at least new pants and a shirt). Dad usually got a new white shirt or a tie for the occasion.
It was only years later, going through old photos, that I realized Mom had on the same two or three dresses in most of our pictures. I don’t remember her ever getting a new Easter dress for herself.
Not only did Mom dress us well, she made sure we had our traditional meal after services. She would prepare a ham, with dozens of prickly whole cloves all over, smothered with Granny’s special glaze. Along with the ham, we had green beans, mashed potatoes, salad, rolls, sweet tea and one of her famous cherry pies. It was “a meal fit for a king,” Daddy always said.
At our hunts on Easter Sundays, we always had some “prize eggs.” A standing rule was only one prize egg per child. The older ones would inevitably find their allotted egg first; it was always fun to watch them discreetly direct their younger cousins or siblings to the remaining coveted eggs. It not only taught them the value of sharing, but it enabled them to have a part in the joy of their kin’s discovery.
A couple of times, though, the younger ones actually beat the older ones to a second prize egg and after a teary protest and several minutes of hasty rule-explaining, they would reluctantly abandon the hidden treasure for another to find. (No family gathering is without a minor wrinkle or two.) Regardless of how many were hidden, there were always some regular eggs, of the boiled or candy-stuffed plastic variety, that remained until they became lawnmower fodder or raccoon treats.
After the grandkids and great-grandkids came along, we continued to gather at Mom and Dad’s for our holiday meal and egg hunt. We were fortunate to be able to do that for over 40 years. My grown children still talk about finding the prize egg and who cried when they didn’t and laugh together at the memories.
I tried to follow in Mom’s footsteps and make sure my family were dressed in their best for the holiday, but my efforts never quite lived up to my memories. The unfortunate styles of the late ‘80s and early ‘90s were not nearly as endearing as those of the ‘60s and ‘70s. Whoever thought those “dinner plate collars” on dresses were attractive? Mercy… one strong gust of wind and we would have taken off like a dandelion puff in a gale.
Fortunately, they have a plethora of cute children’s clothes these days, making it fun to buy for the grandkids. I can’t say the same for the clothes in my age bracket. Maybe it’s the design, maybe it’s the rack I’m trying to hang them on … but something is definitely off. As for the meal, I feel blessed if I can get some hamburgers on the table. My poor grandkids…
Time does tend to change traditions (or at least alter them a bit) as people pass on, move away or grow up and have families of their own. But that doesn’t mean we can’t adopt new traditions or modify the old. Despite the inundation of secular symbols – fluffy bunnies, chocolate eggs, marshmallow chicks and other fun stuff – it doesn’t mean we have to lose the focus of this all-important day.
A wise man once told me, “Christmas and the reason we celebrate is important, but without a Resurrection Sunday, Christmas would be meaningless.”
This year, plan to invite someone to join you as you try to create new traditions or find ways to honor the ones passed along. Let’s spend this year focused on the miracle of that first sunrise that shone on the empty tomb – an event that is still changing lives more than 2,000 years later.
Granny’s Ham Glaze
1 cup of dark brown sugar
½ cup of freshly squeezed orange juice
½ cup of honey
Mix together in a small saucepan over low heat till it begins to bubble, stirring occasionally.
Remove from heat. Use glaze to baste scored and clove-studded ham while baking. Save a small amount to pour over ham during the last 10 minutes of baking time. Delicious!
