The Last Easter Basket...a tale of Woe!

At what point do you suppose that kids come to the realization that this is not just a Hormone Fed gigantic rabbit clutching them... but a sweaty dude in a furry suit just trying to make a buck. WHY do they have to make them so 'creepy' and dangerous looking...it is weird enough to think that a rabbit somehow makes it into YOUR Yard to 'hide' multi-color cooked eggs (when did he find the time to do THAT??) and then jimmies your locked door to violate the inner sanctum of your family home by placing more eggs on shelves, behind chair and other hard to find places that surely if not found that day...will be in a week or so when the smell emits... this furry dude has a bizarre sense of humor!! And then to make it all right he gives you a basket of sweets ...including a hollowed out chocolate likeness of himself ...who , when stared at long enough 'encourages' you to bite off the ears rendering the likeness mutated ...and then 'blinded' with the plucking off of the little candied eye!! OhhHhh the horrors of it all !!! But I must admit there is nothing quite like the finding of that last very stale sticky old jelly bean engulfed in layers of faux grass weeks later when you thought all were gone...and it's a RED ONE!!!! ...MAGIC!!

I did love the whole Easter Scene.... I remember sneaking a peek in the middle of the night draped in my Doctor Dentions watching my Mom feverishly coloring our breakfast food (eggs) with the smell of vinegar hanging heavy in the air.... and when she caught me peeking and realized the jig was up.. her knee jerk reaction was to say " Mr. Cottontale (he had a NAME???) asked if I would help out this year and color up some eggs for him....he will be by around midnight to pick up the eggs"... so of course I thought to myself...what a cool thing, Mr. C has singled out MY MOM for Egg Duty...I had a true moment of pride!! Of course that did not explain the loose grass and scattered jelly beans I saw on the table.... no matter, I was sure Mom had it all worked out with her new employer ..and as a reward I would be getting a swell basket of goodies in the morning....all was right with the world.

My very last Easter Basket that I received was at the age of 16 !! Seriously...!! The Rabbit Ritual all out in the open years earlier...I still would get the famous booty each Easter Morning ...made you somehow feel all cozy inside.... but alas on the 17th year...the counter was 'empty' ...no choco rabbit likeness, no sticky jelly beans, no peeps anywhere...sniff sniff.... that was a cold Spring Morning when I realized that the bunny would no longer be visiting and left me cold turkey ... seriously jonesing for that gooey marshmallow foil wrapped surprise...a day that will live in infamy....

How old were YOU when the bunny paid his last visit to YOUR humble abode??

Happy Easter All....

Jodi