Ahhh… Easter.

I will start by saying that both my husband and I were raised Catholic. We celebrate Easter with family, dyed eggs, ham, and loads of chocolate. We had a very nice day filled with family and fun. Then this will promptly turn into a rant. Sorry.

What is it with all of the “stuff”?!

The Easter Bunny brought chocolates, Peeps, jelly beans and a bubble blowing whistle for each of my kiddos. We try to keep it simple and remind our children that holidays are much more than scoring tons of new toys. I have noticed quite the opposite trend going on in other households though. In my opinion our kids are pretty spoiled, especially when compared to how we were raised. I am simply astounded by the way that other parents over spend for holidays, whatever the holiday be. While the Easter Bunny did fill a big ol’ basket with enough candy to make an entire city diabetic in about 20 minutes, I just don’t get what I am hearing about what this crazy bunny left for others. Does it mean you love Jesus more if your kids get 9 DS games, 6 jars of Play-doh, 14 Barbies, and a Karaoke machine?! I think not.

It seems to be a bit excessive. What exactly does this say to our young ones?

I have noticed the same trend around Christmas time. Does St. Nickolas really need to bring an entire load or just the traditional goodies that fit in the shoe? I actually heard one mom say that she was buying a Loving Family house for her daughter for St. Nick’s Day! Really?! What the hell is little Veruca getting for Christmas later the same month? Gold plated bike? Trip to Fiji? What has happened to us as a society?!

I realize that with the rise in divorce some parents play the “I love you more” game. I also realize that these little brats will eventually be adults. If the trend keeps up will Santa be able to fit a Ferrari in little Johnny’s stocking and will the real reason for the season just be dead? 

I think family traditions are being lost to the hype. We always got fruit and nuts along with candy in our Christmas stockings. We would get the one thing our heart’s desire under the tree from Santa. Ya know, the big one. Not $1800 worth of every toy we asked for all year long. I am trying my hardest to keep family traditions alive. My boys each got the one thing they wanted most, begged Santa for, and pleaded for in their letters. It was accompanied by a couple smaller toys and your run of the mill stocking stuffers. Neither of my kids died. No arms flew in the air with exclamations of “is that all?!” and they were sure that Santa really did listen and they really were good boys all year. Then they go off to school and hear of the ridiculous excess that happens in other houses. “Mom, my friend Dan said that he got the entire LEGO City from Santa!” Really?! I want to slap Dan’s mom. Why can’t Christmas be about the birth of our Lord instead of the $700 in tiny building blocks that Dan’s parents thought were just what was necessary to make the day special? One kid got a pony and a horse!!! I thought we were in an economic slump right now. Lets teach our kids about that. They will be the ones running this country some day!

So back to Easter. I was talking with an acquaintance the other day and after she got done rattling the items she compiled for her kids for Easter, ranging from board games to sports equipment, she added “I still need one more thing for the baby so they have they same number of things”. Just who is keeping score? And what is up with taking pics of your kids’ loot to post on Facebook?! Is this really even about the kids, or the holiday for that matter? It’s not like these were pics of the kiddo’s surprised faces and the joy of rifling through their haul. Just pictures of stuff. Tacky.

My kids got baskets from us and from Grandma. Each loaded to the hilt with a mother’s nightmare, and a dentist’s dream. Not once did my children ask why they didn’t get the 4 Bakugan toys they need to complete their collection, or why the Easter Bunny didn’t drop off a swimming pool. They hunted eggs and were not disappointed in the least when the plastic ones held pennies and candy instead of $5 bills.

Our Santa is kind and generous without extending our credit into financial ruin. Our Tooth Fairy still brings coin (lots of it but still coin). Our Bunny fills a basket, not the living room. Our kids know the reason for the things we celebrate, beyond the “stuff”. They experience the magic first hand. They believe in fairy tales and fictitious characters that reward them for being good people. The thought never crosses their mind to be greedy.

Maybe if this were more about the traditions associated with Easter and less of a contest our kids will benefit from the experience. Brush up HERE.

Think about the “stuff”. Ask yourself what you are teaching. Lead by example.

I truly hope everyone had a lovely Easter/ Passover/ Summer Solstice.

Let’s get Spring underway!

Much Love.