2011年4月18日 星期一

In This Corner, The Easter Bunny

When you're a kid, nothing is better than occasions that heap candy, toys and/or costly electronics upon you. Frankly, as an adult, the same holds true. Too bad that as an adult, those occasions have dwindled miserably.

In an effort to morph customs and religion many years ago, Santa Claus and all his mystery became a yearly endeavor of Christian moms. Proving his existence required little more than milk and cookies.Air max 2009 Running Shoe Flex grooves in the mid and outsole for flexibility. Although, I have to admit, in our house, Matt told the kids that Santa was getting cookies and milk at every other house. Wouldn't it be nice if we left Santa pretzels and beer?

Santa looked forward to coming to our house.

Out on the lawn, a nibbled carrot was evidence of Rudolph's hunger and thanks for a job well done. If there was any snow on the lawn, enterprising parents would create sleigh tracks and hoof prints.

Head's up, though. Be sure that there's no ice underneath the snow before heading out to help prove that Santa exists. Landing on your rear and sliding head long into dense, spiky shrubbery that has been decked out in multi-colored lights, leaving you with a possible concussion and a small electric shock for Christmas morning isn't fun, nor does it leave you jolly. Trust me on that one.

Fast forward a few short months, and we have the Mack Daddy of all Christian holidays, Easter--which we memorialize with a giant bunny and decorated eggs. Proving Easter Bunny's existence is a monumental feat. I guess we could toss "Goobers" or "Raisinets" all over the lawn and maybe throw in a nibbled carrot or two.

Making it worse for the rabbit, there's a Santa in every mall during Christmas. Sadly, only a few malls host the Easter Bunny. Probably because a giant rabbit scares the living daylights out of some kids. I know what I'm talking about, folks.

My daughter, Elyse, was hired to go to a preschool in an Easter Bunny costume. She was to play with the kids, hop around, and eventually have her picture taken with a smiling tot.

From the beginning, she knew it wasn't going to be a pleasant experience. She reported that the head of the bunny was like a giant helmet and unfortunately smelled like a locker room. When she walked into the classroom, her very presence as an overgrown rabbit sent quite a few children running and shrieking, "That big rabbit's going to eat me!" One kid actually sat on her lap, looked up at her and punched her in the head. Thank goodness for the smelly helmet.

She tried everything she could to win over the reluctant tots, but without being able to speak it was difficult. Still, the school had promised the parents pictures of their child with the Easter Bunny,lacoste shoes are considered a glorious beacon of intelligent design. so Elyse had to engage in stealth tactics.

They sat a child down in the allotted area, keeping Elyse in the corner. Some of the children didn't trust their teachers, because they kept twitching and glancing nervously in her direction. When they finally succeeded in distracting them from Elyse in her giant bunny costume, she lurked behind them, and just as the picture was being taken,Love womens Wedge Shoes? So do we. she sprung up to be in the photo.

You can imagine the hysteria that ensued as more than one frightened child witnessed the bulbous head of Easter Bunny pop up next to them. I somehow doubt they'll be singing about Peter Cottontail in that school for a while.

Another tenet of Easter is the decoration of eggs, which is one messy proposition. First, you have to lay out newspaper to cover every surface imaginable, which is smart.The first time that I saw Lanvin Shoes was about two years ago.

Unfortunately, kids are the antidote for smart. It takes them less than 10 seconds to take out all the newspaper that you just spent 10 minutes carefully applying.

On to the dying of the eggs, which is generally a free-for-all. It almost always ends with a cup of dye landing on your brand new tile floor that hasn't been sealed yet. Here's a handy tip in the event that happens--never use straight ammonia to clean it up. After you've regained consciousness from the fumes,More information about nike air max 97 shoes including release dates and prices. it usually takes the tile guy a week or two to replace the now ruined flooring.

The stickers that come with the kits end up on arms, faces, cups, curtains, painted walls--everywhere BUT an egg. And despite the fact that they're clear, those little wax markers are by no means invisible. Murals made with them can still be seen on your kitchen wall.

By the time you've cleaned up the spilled dye, scraped stickers off almost every surface in your kitchen, carefully peeled the wax marker from the wall, collected the shards of shells from the dozen or so broken eggs, discarded flimsy egg dippers and thrown away the pretty much useless newspaper, it's after midnight. By now, you could pretty much clobber the rabbit. In fact, I've often dreamt about making rabbit hasenpfeffer more than once after egg dying night is over.

Still, you make some pretty good memories during the Easter holidays. Following your three year old around on a muddy lawn, hunting for eggs, while guiding them in the direction of those eggs is a rite of parenthood. Trust me, when they get older, you're going to miss it.

And it signals the hopeful return of spring, when the world wakes up from its long winter's sleep. It heralds lilac bushes bursting with buds that will soon be bundles of sweet smelling centerpieces; tulips breaking through the once hard ground to shower the world with color.

For Christians, it signifies so much more. It's the core of our belief system that the Son of God died and then rose from his tomb, promising everlasting life to believers. It's a time when many renew their faith, and take stock of their lives. Hopefully, we remember the sacrifice made that promises us that precious life after death.

And yes, it brings with it that giant Easter Bunny. Love him or hate him, he seems to be "hare" to stay. So the Bunny doesn't feel slighted, we leave him something to eat before he's on his way.

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