Miscellaneous Writings

The Easter Before College

I’ll share with you some Easter's of my life. My name is Lilly and I have celebrated a whole eighteen years of Easters. Obviously the first three or four I can't remember but I've seen pictures of when I was a baby and was dressed in Easter Bunny outfits. Blah. Why do parents do things like that?

Anyway, every Easter I would get out of bed and step softly to the living room to see what the Easter Bunny brought me. It wasn't as exciting as Christmas so I didn't wake up as early, but it was fun. There’d always be a basket filled with toys or a stuffed animal and candy. Sometimes there would even be money and gift certificates. One time there was a bike. I couldn’t believe it. The presents got more expensive the older I got.

After a breakfast of waffles and bacon, we’d get dressed in our pretty dresses and go to church. It was just me and Mom because Dad didn’t do church. I’d complain that I didn’t want to go to church either and my Mom always told me that until I was eighteen I didn’t have a choice.

Our church wasn't too far from the house, only about seven minutes. Mom parked in the back to leave the front spaces open for visitors and the elderly who couldn't walk very far. There were some kids from my school who went to the church, too. I wondered how they could act the way they did at school and then come to church and act like there weren't mean to people. They were stuck-up and I didn't want to have anything to do with them, but we were in the same Sunday School class. I just didn't talk very much. I didn't need them to learn anything about me that they didn't already know.

We went from Sunday school to worship. The only part about worship I enjoyed was the music. The singing was okay, but the music was good. Then came the message. Sometimes I would get something out of it but for the most part I thought it was kind of hypocritical.

After church we’d go to my Dad’s side of the family for lunch and then to my Mom’s side of the family for dinner; both would have Easter egg hunts, too. It was a crazy day and we’d come home stuffed and exhausted. Who would have thought that eating would make you so tired?

On Christmas is when I would usually get the big gifts like a Nintendo DS or a PlayStation and Easter was always for the follow-up gifts. So I’d get games for the DS and PlayStation. This year for Christmas I got a new laptop. Mom said that I'd need a nice new one for college. I don't think there's any follow-up gift she could give me for the computer this year.

We don’t go to both sides of the family on the same day anymore. It’s different every year since parts of the family have two and three different Easter events to go to. It just depends on everyone’s schedule and when we could get together. Sometimes it would be before Easter and sometimes after. It didn’t really matter to me, I was just happy to get the gifts. My aunt would give me money so I was happy to have Easter at her house.

Mom always tried to get me to understand the reason we celebrate Easter in the first place, but I didn’t, and still don’t, want to listen. I don’t really care. To me, Easter has always been about the Easter Bunny and egg dying and hunts. I mean I learned about Jesus being crucified and rising from the grave and all, but it doesn’t resonate with me. I know he died for my sins, but that doesn’t make sense to me. How could He have died for something I hadn’t done yet? Okay, he rose from the grave but I don’t think He was really dead when they put him in the tomb. How he rolled the stone away I’ll never know. There’s probably some confusion in the stories about what truly happened anyway.

So my Mom usually decorates the house for Easter with rabbits and eggs all over the place. I never really get into decorating for anything except Christmas. Easter almost seemed like Valentine’s Day, another Hallmark kind of holiday, but I won’t let my Mom hear me say that!

Well, I’m eighteen now and didn’t expect anything for Easter this year since I’m a little too old for it, but it turns out that I got one anyway. I couldn’t believe the stuff that was in it. I’ve never gotten a basket so big. I got two packages of earbuds, a set of speakers that will Bluetooth with my phone and laptop, a new DS game, a laptop case, a pair of tickets to the band I love the most, Panic at The Disco, a couple of vinyls for my record player, a pair of pajamas, some fuzzy socks, and a bunch of gift cards like gas cards, and food cards, but I especially love the Starbucks gift card. That will come in handy. My Mom knows me so well. I guess this is Mom’s way of making sure I have some of the little things that make my life go around.

I’m off to college in a few weeks and won’t be back home for six months. I think I’m gonna miss being at home and celebrating silly holidays like Easter. I think I'll go to church with my Mom one more time.


Never submitted for Elizabeth's Poetry & Short Story Contest