Among Friends

[terrier3]

We would go downtown and get special Easter outfits, everything from patent leather shoes, to new spring coats, hats, dressses and white gloves (late 1950s-early 1960s).

My father would get us all corsages - one year I got a "nosegay" of violets instead - purple violets in a bouquet surrounded by white lace. My mother and Oma always got orchids to wear on their coats.

We went to my mom's Italian parents' house for Easter breakfast - my grandfather made frittatas with bacon and cheese he grated himself from a big wheel.

Then we went home for a big German Easter dinner from my father's side of the family.

One of my uncles was a sales manager for a wholesale chocolate company. He collected old molds and made us special Easter chocolates. He had a wire fox terrier mold and always made a chocolate version of my dog, Topper, for me.

My father used to stop at a penny candy store on his way home from work. He would get little sacks of candy for me and my sister and would hide them and play a game of "Hot or Cold" or as he would say "Heiss oder Kalt". He did the same with our Easter eggs and baskets too!

Sweet memories... Thanks for reminding me!

[VaBelle35]

re Easter Baskets

I have had this conversation many times with friends the last couple of weeks.

Children, no matter how old, still love getting an Easter basket.  It's not about what's in it, it's the idea of the basket.  

I know my mother still buys me a chocolate bunny.

I think boys especially need their Easter basket (I know my brother does!).

I heard Bobby Flay say on Brunch @ Bobby's once that his mother still brings him his white chocolate bunny every year to his restaurant in NYC.  And the staff makes fun of him every time.

We used to do an Easter egg hunt every year.  We dyed eggs and my dad would hide them when he came home from work in the middle of the night.  

And then there was always that egg that we couldn't find and he couldn't remember where he hid it.  LOL

[blackhole99]

We didn't have much growing up, but at Easter we all got new outfits and shoes. We had a great big family dinner at my Grandmothers house. My aunts were very creative and made us the most beautiful Easter baskets with all this really good chocolate candy.

[151949]

I would usually get a new dress & coat that were hand me downs from a cousin.I didn't care - they were new to me. We would get a small basket from the Easter bunny with mostly hard boiled eggs and marshmallow chicks, but then , after church, we went to grandma's house where there would be a large basket with lots of chocolate candy. 

My Dad always bought my Mom a corsage to wear to church. My favorite part of Easter was The beginning of the service when our pastor would walk out and shout "CHRIST IS RISEN" and everyone in church would respond , loudly, "CHRIST IS RISEN INDEED ALLELUIA" then we would sing Christ the Lord is risen today. It was always the same and it never got old.