The first thing that pops in my head when I think of Easter is Fred Astaire singing “Happy Easter” as he walks down the street shopping for his girlfriend’s Easter gifts at the beginning of the movie Easter Parade. It was a tradition (and still is) to watch Easter Parade every Easter morning. By this point, even my husband can say the lines along with the movie, but he has yet to join in when I tap dance along with Fred and Judy.
As a kid we decorated Easter eggs by coloring them with crayons before dipping them in dye. It worked really well and allowed for all kinds of eggs: polka dotted, scribbled, striped, plaid, and a few with rabbits or chicks if we got ambitious. These then went in a plastic grass-filled basket on our kitchen table until they got old and had to throw them out.
The eggs at Easter egg hunts were not filled with candy when I was a kid. Instead, we searched for the real eggs we had decorated, after the adults hid them in the yard – it was all about the hunt, not about the prize.
I’ve always liked Easter because it’s a simple holiday. The colors are pastel and laid back, it’s a warm fuzzy Sunday with fluffy bunnies and cute chicks, and it’s all infused with Spring: a meal with fresh Spring produce, the air fresh and crisp, blooming flowers peeking through the ever-warmer ground, ladies in floral dresses and wide-brimmed hats, men in light colored suits.
This year I look forward to playing my son his first Easter records: Peter Cottontail and The Red Red Robbin. And of course, he will “watch” Easter Parade for the first time. I wonder how long till he will join in with the tap dancing?
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