Friday, March 26, 2010

Flashback Friday #3 - Easter Memories



Welcome to the third edition of Flashback Friday! With Easter just a little more than a week away, I thought it would be fun to share how we all celebrated Easter when we were growing up.

What was Easter like when you were little? For example, did you receive a basket with toys and candy? Was the Easter Bunny part of your family's celebration? Did your family integrate both secular and spiritual aspects of the day? Did you dye Easter eggs. . . .and did your family eat them afterwards? Did you usually get a new outfit? (Post a picture if you have one!) Does any Easter stand out particularly? You might also share how your Easter today is similar or different to your childhood.

My parents didn't make a big fuss about Easter. I remember dying eggs a few times. We never ate them - my mom was afraid of the dye, I think. My two big sisters usually hid plastic eggs for me to find. It's funny - I don't think it ever occurred to me that people put candy in those eggs since that didn't happen at our house! I don't know what I thought the purpose of their being hollow was - except I had fun switching them around and putting two different colors together! I also never got an Easter basket with treats in it.

My mom loved the song from the old movie Easter Parade with Judy Garland - there was another version as well with Bing Crosby, who was my mom's favorite! I remember her singing this song around the house every spring:



Easter bonnets hats were still in vogue when I was in early elementary school, and I remember having a white one. I hated it because the elastic that went under the chin drove me crazy! We had a new outfit lots of times, which my mom sewed. I do remember one time - I was either in first or second grade - and my Sunday School teacher gave me a store-bought blue dress for Easter. (Being store-bought was a huge deal because my mom sewed plus I got hand-me-downs from 2 sisters, their 2 friends, and 3 cousins!) I wish I had a picture of it - it had a dropped waist and pleats in the skirt and was a robin's egg shade of blue. And she gave me a long "pearl" necklace. I remember tying a knot in the pearls like grown-ups did and feeling so dressed up! Of course, in the South, Easter ushered in the white shoe season!

We went to church, as we did every week. There was nothing unusual about the service except for the songs and the altar flowers. (I've never been to an Easter sunrise service.) I remember we always sang "Christ Arose." It always made me laugh a bit because we sang the verses really slow and the chorus fast. We sang the chorus after every verse (some folks now sing the 3 verses together before the chorus!), so it was funny to go from the fast "He arose!" chorus back to a slow verse where He was still in the tomb! (If you're not familiar with that hymn, you can hear an organ version here.
CHRIST AROSE
Words & Music by Robert Lowry, 1874

Low in the grave He lay,
Jesus my Savior,
Waiting the coming day,
Jesus my Lord!

Refrain:
Up from the grave He arose,
With a mighty triumph o’er His foes,
He arose a Victor from the dark domain,
And He lives forever, with His saints to reign.
He arose! He arose!
Hallelujah! Christ arose!


Vainly they watch His bed,
Jesus my Savior;
Vainly they seal the dead,
Jesus my Lord!

Death cannot keep its Prey,
Jesus my Savior;
He tore the bars away,
Jesus my Lord!

Sometimes we would drive to see my paternal relatives north of Dallas. Back in the 1960s/early 1970s the trip took a lot longer than it does now! We would get there about 2:00 Saturday afternoon and leave to drive back to Houston as soon as the big family lunch was over.

Since I never had one, it's always been important to me for my kids to get an Easter basket. The biggest tradition is that I create a treasure hunt for them to find their baskets. The clues are always rhyming riddles. We generally do that on Sunday afternoon after lunch. Their baskets containe candy, books, or other small treats. When they were little I would put a nickel or dime in some of the eggs. (One year my sister hid eggs for them out in the yard and forgot where she hid them! The kids found all but one, and finally gave up. We had forgotten all about it until almost a year later when someone inadvertently found it!) We also do the resurrection eggs as a family. We love going to our church's Good Friday service as well as our Sunday service - these are both sweet times of worship.


What about you? Be sure to link up here with your flashback post so we can enjoy your memories!






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14 comments:

Barbara H. said...

That dress sounds gorgeous!

I think we sing "Christ Arose" every Easter, too, but without the variations in speed. :-)

I did clues one year for Valentines -- the kids loved them, but they were hard to come up with!

quilly said...

I remember a powder blue Easter dress one year. It had a little scarf that went around the neck and I felt just like a grown up when I wrapped it around my neck and tossed the end over my shoulder! LOL!

And one year my Dad bout me a porcelain heart necklace with a rose painted on it. That was a treasure to me for years.

Kim said...

Sounds like our experiences were reversed :-)

I'd forgotten how irritating the plastic straps were on those hats! My boy cousins enjoyed going around and snapping them on our necks. Aaarggh!

I've read a little about the resurrection eggs idea and wish that had been around when my kids were little. Or maybe it was, and I just didn't hear about it.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Robin Lambright said...

Reading all the Easter memories has been fun! I am not sure I know what resurrection eggs are??? Going to Google them and find out.

Can't wait to see where we will go next week.

Blessings
R

Joyce said...

I love that hymn and I giggle too at the speed...I like your way of three verses then the chorus. I do hope we sing that one this year because its a favorite of mine.

I played along today...thanks for hosting and Happy Easter!

Kim said...

Oh Linda! The white shoe thing I remember! And we always went to my Granny's house and hid/hunted easter eggs with my cousins. And always took a million pictures that I hated! I have not re-created much of this for my children.

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Skoots1moM said...

i'll bring Robin my Resurrection eggs so she can see them...
it has been fun reading everyone's remembrances of EASTER
thanks for hosting :)

bp said...

I have never been to an Easter sunrise service, that is something I'd like to do sometime.

Jingle said...

inspiring and entertaining post!
Happy Spring,
Happy Friday!

sara said...

sadly Easter for me growing up was all about the Easter bunny and the candy. So I set out with my kids to make it more about Christ, but still include the Easter basket.

This year we will celebrate my girl's 21st birthday on Easter Sunday...yikes!

marina said...

I enjoyed your post.
Too bad you never had a easter basket as a child, I'm sure you enjoy making them for your kids.

Thena said...

After reading your post I realized I could have written one. I didn't because there really isn't any childhood memories of Easter other than church and the song slow then fast at the chorus of He Arose.
I can't remember ever having an easter basket as a child, vaguely remember hunting eggs. I do remember the Legg's eggs later on with money in them taped up so it was harder to open.

But am loving bringing back the memories of when we were younger.
Can't wait to see what it is for next Friday.

Lisa Spence said...

My young Easter memories: the dresses. Going to the fabric store, picking out patterns, fabric, notions. My mom washing the fabric and then transforming exactly into the dress I dreamed of. Getting new shoes, new purse, new pantyhose, new nail polish, all to match the new dress. Dying eggs. Hunting eggs.