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Post by kds on Apr 12, 2022 17:35:56 GMT
Some people aren't that fond of Christmas. Others don't really participate in Halloween. But, me, the one holiday I'm just not a fan of is Easter.
It seems like Easter is a holiday that holds the most appeal to devout Christians or small children. I don't fall into either category. And, I really don't have any nostalgic ties to Easter like I do for other holidays. I might like to eat some Cadbury's chocolates this time of year, but I have no real standout memories of Easter Sundays. I don't rewatch the old Easter specials each year (I've tried, and they're really not that good, not even the old reliable Rankin Bass or Peanuts).
And, I know I probably shouldn't feel this way as I'm at the age where I've lost enough people that I try not to take family gatherings for granted. But, something feels overly forced about Easter gatherings to me. I couldn't help but find myself a little annoyed at having three Easter things to attend this coming weekend, and possibly one next weekend. I think part of the annoyance for me is that Easter often coincides with the start of warmer weather and baseball season. At least two Easters, I've had to turn down offers to go to Orioles games to do Easter stuff, and it was before my sister or I had our own families.
I really thought I'd come around on Easter a little bit after having a kid. I will admit, I enjoy how much my son likes the Easter Bunny. But, really, other than that, I really haven't come around on it.
Speaking of kids, when did Easter become Christmas 2.0? When I was a kid, we got candy. I do remember a couple Easters where we've get one, maybe two, toy in the Easter Basket. Not now. My son's grandparents give him so much stuff on Easter. I feel like we'd just cleared out some space after Christmas, now this.
Another thing about Easter. Pick a Sunday for God's sake!!! Easter can be in late March, early April, mid April, late April. I never understood the logic in planning religious holidays around the moon.
Maybe, just maybe, Easter would be a holiday I'd embrace more if the Monday after Easter was a Federal Holiday like it is in many other countries.
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Post by Kapitan on Apr 12, 2022 17:56:16 GMT
Seconded on most every count.
When I was a kid, Easter was mostly about the religious side of it: it always meant church (sometimes early services, which were awful); it often meant some new church clothes for us kids, usually similar enough looking that we felt like a bunch of trained monkeys; and I never was really big on the associated foods (hams are not high on my list) or candies (Peeps, for god's sake!?). I mean, I'd eat a chocolate bunny or a Cadbury egg, sure. Jellybeans, what the hell. But it wasn't big on my list as a kid, and--as KDS said--it wasn't a "presents" kind of holiday. The new church outfit, a basket of candy, that was about it.
As an adult, I hear of other families that go all-out in terms of gifts, which strikes me as very strange because it wasn't a part of our traditions. I'm glad my family hasn't gone that route.
However, I have to admit I am still not looking forward to our gathering (this Saturday, I guess because some others have other Easters to attend). A two-hour drive just for a lunch I don't especially want and (here's the really petty part, sorry in advance!) being surrounded by a few truly, remarkably bratty nephews?
On the bright side, at least in the past few years my mom stopped asking if I'd come down early to join them for church...she used to ask every single year. And somehow, the prospect of a 3-4 a.m. wake-up call didn't exactly sweeten the offer for me.
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Post by kds on Apr 12, 2022 18:01:55 GMT
Piggybacking on the church thing, one year, my father and I decided to do Easter Weekend mass the Saturday prior. But, we ran into the Easter Vigil, which is about a two hour mass. I guess that's a standout Easter childhood memory.
And you're right on the food. I like ham, but it's nothing special. And I really have no use for the non chocolate candies. Especially now.
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Post by Kapitan on Apr 12, 2022 18:14:13 GMT
Easter Vigil, which is about a two hour mass. That is not a selling point for Catholic conversion! At least our (Lutheran) services would tend to be 45-60 minutes. However, when we'd go to my grandparents', their larger churches often included a lot of add-ons like brass ensembles, bell choirs, and such. And in our small church in my hometown, my brothers and I often had to work the Easter breakfasts for the congregation. So I guess it would always end up taking several hours one way or the other.
This is reminding me of how when we were little, we'd inevitably get bored once our work was done and go outside to run around ... usually dirtying these new church clothes that we were wearing for the first time ever. My mom was never happy with us.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Apr 12, 2022 18:46:37 GMT
Seconded on most every count.
When I was a kid, Easter was mostly about the religious side of it: it always meant church (sometimes early services, which were awful); it often meant some new church clothes for us kids, usually similar enough looking that we felt like a bunch of trained monkeys; and I never was really big on the associated foods (hams are not high on my list) or candies (Peeps, for god's sake!?). I mean, I'd eat a chocolate bunny or a Cadbury egg, sure. Jellybeans, what the hell. But it wasn't big on my list as a kid, and--as KDS said--it wasn't a "presents" kind of holiday. The new church outfit, a basket of candy, that was about it.
As an adult, I hear of other families that go all-out in terms of gifts, which strikes me as very strange because it wasn't a part of our traditions. I'm glad my family hasn't gone that route. This was our family Easter in a nutshell. I'm Catholic so Easter was an important holiday. My Mom used to take us to Stations Of The Cross on Friday nights. We made sure to go to Confession. And, yes, we wore our "Sunday best" to Easter Sunday mass. It was always inspirational to open the mass with "Jesus Christ Is Risen Today".
Easter dinner was usually as big as Christmas dinner. We invited my grandparents and an aunt or two. We always had ham and sweet potatoes and filling and corn and lima beans.
When I was young, my Mom made Easter baskets (from the Easter Bunny) for us which were filled with great milk chocolate bunnies and eggs, but unfortunately, there were those terrible marshmallow peeps, too. And, remember those gross peanuts that were big and soft and orange and tasted terrible. My Mom recently showed me a note I wrote to the Easter Bunny when I was about six or seven. It said, "Mr. Easter Bunny, instead of candy, can you please leave me a puppy. I will take care of it".
When everybody got older and the grandchildren/young nieces & nephews came along, we would have Easter egg hunts in the back yard. My parents got those plastic eggs and put candy or pennies in them. I think the grand prize was an egg that had a quarter in it! We have pictures of those hunts. Somewhere there's a video. Timeless memories, indeed.
We never went the "gift route" on Easter, but in later years my sisters did have some small but meaningful gifts for my Mom in thanking her for all the work and preparation, not just for that day but for previous Easters.
It's true, Easter wasn't and isn't as "big" as Christmas. And, sadly, it appears to be more and more that way each year. The religious aspect isn't as strong as it used to be. People don't "dress up" like they used to. Even the meal doesn't seem as...full...as year's past. And, I have to say I don't think that's a good thing. It might be easier and more laid back and not as big a deal, but I do miss the way Easter used to be. Hey, it was just one day a year, and it was worth it, wasn't it?
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Post by Kapitan on Apr 12, 2022 18:57:58 GMT
Thanks for that, Sheriff. I have to say, I do like that hymn ("Jesus Christ is Risen Today") ... unless it's too slow! And for some reason, it almost always seemed to be a plodding dirge in my memory! I always thought, come on, it's Easter Sunday! It's celebratory! This isn't Good Friday!
While I am personally not religious, I do totally understand and sympathize with your comments on the increasingly informal holiday. Actually I find interesting when I attend church with family now how casual it all can be, and that's in (very) conservative churches, not the kind of informal, come-as-you-are style. Our particular brand of Lutheranism is considered relatively "high church," especially for Protestants to the point that many other Protestants would think it seems downright Catholic. There is a very real logic to the idea of dressing up, formal setting, best behavior, etc., to set church services apart from regular daily life. It's funny, when people ask me if I wouldn't have stuck to religion had it all been more casual, modern music, and such, I always insist that no, it's the formality that was my favorite part. I love old cathedrals or beautiful churches, I love serious music, and I love ritual and liturgy. The issue with me is literally just a lack of belief in any of it.
I do remember doing Easter egg hunts with brothers and cousins. As you said, the prizes inside (of those plastic ones that split in half) were small ... but so were we! Jellybeans, pennies or nickels, etc. And of course some of the eggs were either ones we'd painted the night before or chocolate ones. My nephews aren't as easily amused or satisfied as we were as kids. Even when they were 4 or 5, they were pretty openly disdainful of such "small gifts." I have to keep my mouth shut and remember they're not my kids...
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Post by kds on Apr 12, 2022 19:11:17 GMT
Easter Vigil, which is about a two hour mass. That is not a selling point for Catholic conversion! At least our (Lutheran) services would tend to be 45-60 minutes. However, when we'd go to my grandparents', their larger churches often included a lot of add-ons like brass ensembles, bell choirs, and such. And in our small church in my hometown, my brothers and I often had to work the Easter breakfasts for the congregation. So I guess it would always end up taking several hours one way or the other.
This is reminding me of how when we were little, we'd inevitably get bored once our work was done and go outside to run around ... usually dirtying these new church clothes that we were wearing for the first time ever. My mom was never happy with us.
From what I remember, most Catholic masses lasted about 45 minutes. Although, our parish did have one priest whose homilies could push it closer to an hour. But, the Easter Vigil and Christmas Eve masses tended to run longer.
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Post by kds on Apr 12, 2022 19:16:32 GMT
Seconded on most every count.
When I was a kid, Easter was mostly about the religious side of it: it always meant church (sometimes early services, which were awful); it often meant some new church clothes for us kids, usually similar enough looking that we felt like a bunch of trained monkeys; and I never was really big on the associated foods (hams are not high on my list) or candies (Peeps, for god's sake!?). I mean, I'd eat a chocolate bunny or a Cadbury egg, sure. Jellybeans, what the hell. But it wasn't big on my list as a kid, and--as KDS said--it wasn't a "presents" kind of holiday. The new church outfit, a basket of candy, that was about it.
As an adult, I hear of other families that go all-out in terms of gifts, which strikes me as very strange because it wasn't a part of our traditions. I'm glad my family hasn't gone that route. This was our family Easter in a nutshell. I'm Catholic so Easter was an important holiday. My Mom used to take us to Stations Of The Cross on Friday nights. We made sure to go to Confession. And, yes, we wore our "Sunday best" to Easter Sunday mass. It was always inspirational to open the mass with "Jesus Christ Is Risen Today".
Easter dinner was usually as big as Christmas dinner. We invited my grandparents and an aunt or two. We always had ham and sweet potatoes and filling and corn and lima beans.
When I was young, my Mom made Easter baskets (from the Easter Bunny) for us which were filled with great milk chocolate bunnies and eggs, but unfortunately, there were those terrible marshmallow peeps, too. And, remember those gross peanuts that were big and soft and orange and tasted terrible. My Mom recently showed me a note I wrote to the Easter Bunny when I was about six or seven. It said, "Mr. Easter Bunny, instead of candy, can you please leave me a puppy. I will take care of it".
When everybody got older and the grandchildren/young nieces & nephews came along, we would have Easter egg hunts in the back yard. My parents got those plastic eggs and put candy or pennies in them. I think the grand prize was an egg that had a quarter in it! We have pictures of those hunts. Somewhere there's a video. Timeless memories, indeed.
We never went the "gift route" on Easter, but in later years my sisters did have some small but meaningful gifts for my Mom in thanking her for all the work and preparation, not just for that day but for previous Easters.
It's true, Easter wasn't and isn't as "big" as Christmas. And, sadly, it appears to be more and more that way each year. The religious aspect isn't as strong as it used to be. People don't "dress up" like they used to. Even the meal doesn't seem as...full...as year's past. And, I have to say I don't think that's a good thing. It might be easier and more laid back and not as big a deal, but I do miss the way Easter used to be. Hey, it was just one day a year, and it was worth it, wasn't it? Even though I grew up Catholic, our family never really made a big fuss over Easter. Perhaps if we did, I'd have more of an attachment to the holiday, and would find it more enjoyable, and less of an annoyance. But, I don't really have those memories of Easter egg hunts and such. Although, I do have some fond memories of getting carry out from a local place called Al's Seafood on Fridays in the Lent season. I'd always get codfish cakes. It's not as easy to find a good "coddie" around here anymore. And, for the record, I don't think Peeps are that bad. But they're better if you let them get a little stale.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Apr 12, 2022 19:35:03 GMT
That is not a selling point for Catholic conversion! At least our (Lutheran) services would tend to be 45-60 minutes. However, when we'd go to my grandparents', their larger churches often included a lot of add-ons like brass ensembles, bell choirs, and such. And in our small church in my hometown, my brothers and I often had to work the Easter breakfasts for the congregation. So I guess it would always end up taking several hours one way or the other.
This is reminding me of how when we were little, we'd inevitably get bored once our work was done and go outside to run around ... usually dirtying these new church clothes that we were wearing for the first time ever. My mom was never happy with us.
From what I remember, most Catholic masses lasted about 45 minutes. Although, our parish did have one priest whose homilies could push it closer to an hour. But, the Easter Vigil and Christmas Eve masses tended to run longer. A quick update, kds...
The Catholic masses are now approaching 60 minutes due to the increased singing. A lot of the refrains are now sung instead of spoken. And, while I haven't attended one in several years, I have heard from reliable sources that the Easter Vigil is now up to 2 - 2 1/2 hours.
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Post by kds on Apr 12, 2022 19:44:41 GMT
From what I remember, most Catholic masses lasted about 45 minutes. Although, our parish did have one priest whose homilies could push it closer to an hour. But, the Easter Vigil and Christmas Eve masses tended to run longer. A quick update, kds...
The Catholic masses are now approaching 60 minutes due to the increased singing. A lot of the refrains are now sung instead of spoken. And, while I haven't attended one in several years, I have heard from reliable sources that the Easter Vigil is now up to 2 - 2 1/2 hours.
Oh wow. Outside of weddings and funerals, I probably haven't attended a mass as an adult. And, that's not going to entice me to return.
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Post by carllove on Apr 13, 2022 12:10:23 GMT
Before COVID, the family Easter celebration were indeed becoming a Christmas 2.0. The baskets, presents and meal just started to get more and more elaborate. Now my parent's don't drive anymore, so they don't come up to my Aunt's - so we all just Zoom meet. I love it! We are doing the same for Thanksgiving as well. After over 50 years of Easter and Thanksgiving get togethers at my Aunt's house, we are finally free to do our own thing.
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Post by kds on Apr 13, 2022 12:44:13 GMT
Before COVID, the family Easter celebration were indeed becoming a Christmas 2.0. The baskets, presents and meal just started to get more and more elaborate. Now my parent's don't drive anymore, so they don't come up to my Aunt's - so we all just Zoom meet. I love it! We are doing the same for Thanksgiving as well. After over 50 years of Easter and Thanksgiving get togethers at my Aunt's house, we are finally free to do our own thing. This might sound terrible, but my favorite Easter in recent memory was the 2020 COVID Easter. We didn't have to go anywhere, but we were still under a "stay at home" mandate. The Easter Bunny drove down the street in the back of a pickup truck, which my son loved. And, we got some carry out crab cakes.
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Post by Kapitan on Apr 16, 2022 12:10:41 GMT
This morning I'll be off to my parents' for our family Easter. My mind was in a haze so that I forgot to ask what I could bring until yesterday, when a brother mentioned the various things his family was bringing. Whoops! Turns out we're doing a kind of buffet style meal, so I had to think fast last night!
A quick stock-taking of what I had on hand and I landed on Greek meatballs (a beef-lamb mix of meat with mint, rosemary, dried dill, oregano and thyme, and diced red onion and garlic, plus some coriander, sumac, and a little paprika) and a yogurt-lemon-herb sauce, with tzatziki on the side. Not too time-consuming to make, and they can sit in a crock pot just fine. (And hey, lamb and mint and herbs are traditional for Easter/spring.) But wow, did I feel like an idiot ... guess work has been messing with my mind lately.
The good part of doing this today is, I still have the actual Easter day, tomorrow, as a nice, relaxing weekend day.
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Post by Kapitan on Apr 17, 2022 12:01:46 GMT
Happy Easter to those who celebrate it.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Apr 17, 2022 12:14:15 GMT
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