Easter approaches...

Does anyone do anything special for Easter? We used to get new shoes and clothes when I was younger, did the same when my boys were kids. Then we'd head to church and then to one grandparents home for lunch and then later on to the second grandparents home for dinner and usually an egg hunt. It was wonderful.
Now, nothing!!! I go to church and thats about it...Too boring for words, no wonder I hate change!!!

And coloring eggs and Easter baskets. Now they don't want you to put candy in the Easter baskets. Well that's fun. Kids will think we are boring grandparents. What's Easter without chocolate bunnies?

Well, I see we're all thrilled with Easter these days. When growing up we followed all the traditions...church, Easter baskets, new clothes, etc. Then I went through 25 years of Easter being the most exhausting day of the year...as a pastor's wife I was up and at 'em for sunrise service, church breakfast, bible classes, AM church service, big dinner with guests alwats, cantata practice all afternoon, evening Easter cantata and then reception. I always felt sick by the end of the day. When that all ended I've become an Easter recluse. It's pretty much a regular Sunday now for us and that's okay with me. It was never a favorite of mine.

chatty, we got our kids new clothes too, especially when they were little. That's all ended. However, I bet they'd love us to get them new outfits now. HA! Anything to make their money last longer.

My daughter will dye eggs if she's around. I'll make some Easter shape butter cookies - tradition. I'll put a very few Easter decorations around. We'll go to church as a family because all the kids will be home. In the afternoon we'll have Ross's and my family here for dinner and an egg hunt for the little great nieces and nephew.

Until this year, I still bought the kids stuff for their baskets. This year we're getting them one nice gift instead. While my daughter was packing to go back to school last night, she came down with an Easter Pez picker that she never opened from last year and said, "Here Mom. You can just stick this in my basket again this year. I never opened it." I've also given her packages of those pretty kleenex. I opened a drawer in the kids bathroom and there were about six pacakges in there from Christmas stockings and Easter baskets. I asked why she never used them and she said, "They're too pretty."

I love the Easter service at our church. We have a brass orchestra and it's the only time we do that.

When I sang in the church choir, we did 3 services on Easter. Sunrise service, which I just loved because of the sense of re-awakening with the gradual lighting of candles as the sun came up. It was a powerful and moving service. After that, we would go to the church library for breakfast - donuts and mimosas - then do the 8:30 service. Then more donuts and more mimosas and then the 10:30 service. We rehearsed for weeks. Our choir actually won a competition once - we placed first out of all the church choirs in the city.

This Easter will be a big celebration because my family and my future DIL's family will be celebrating it together. My sister and niece will also be in town. So, a big meal is planned. Before all that, we all meet in Church for Easter Mass and my SIL, son and older grandson will be the altar servers. A rare opportunity for all three to serve together in one Mass and in one where I will be doing the reading. I wish I could take the older grandchildren for the Saturday's Easter Vigil Mass but the order of service starts late and is too long for them to sit through. They have never been to one. Maybe, next year. Or perhaps, I can take them for the bonfire procession and just let them sleep through the readings if they nod off.

I used to buy Easter peeps for my children's basket when we were in the States. Are these still sold there?

we have food and thought...

last yr the oven door got pulled off leaving the inner door....i am not sure how p managed this but it was easter lol.

so dinner planned again it might onlie be me and l so it wont be a big dinner hopfullie some kina walk in nature, even if the local park, i be happpie with that. Then we can all feel that spring is trulie heer.

yonuh, why don't you still sing in the choir... if you feel like answering?

Lola, the peeps are still sold here. They were Mom's favorite. The funny thing is that now you can get them in so many pastel colors, plus they have them for other holidays too. Trees and snowmen for Christmas, etc.

Tell us about the bonfire. Sounds awesome.

celtic, a walk sounds perfect. Come on spring!

On Holy Saturday, the Easter Vigil commences from the Presbytery at 10:00 P.M. The bonfire would have been started an hour earlier and it is around it where we congregate in accord with remembrance from tradition of waiting by Jesus' tomb. The service is in four parts.

Part 1 is the service of light. A procession of acolytes and junior altar servers brings the Easter candle to be blessed. Father cuts a cross in the wax with a stylus tracing the Greek letters Alpha above the cross, Omega below and the numerals of the current year between the arms of the cross. Father then inserts five grains of incense in the candle in the form of a cross before lighting it from the bonfire.

After the blessings, Father leads the procession into the Church where the altar has been left bare and dark. The Tabernacle is empty and left open to signify that Jesus is not there. As Father enters the Church, he proclaims "Christ our light". A senior acolyte follows with the Easter candle. For the second time it is proclaimed "Christ our light". Then all take turns to light their candle from the Easter candle as the rest of us make our way into the dark Church. When Father and the acolytes arrive before the altar, we proclaim for the third time: "Christ be our light". The Easter candle is then placed on a stand by the lectern or nearer to the altar. After the service of the lights, Parts 2, 3 and 4 follow respectively as the Liturgies of the Word (which comprises of seven readings from Genesis Exodus Isaiah Baruch and Ezekiel with the appropriate responses, prayers in-between and the Gospel; Liturgy of Baptism (for adults being received into the Catholic Church...we have 42 this year); and, Liturgy of the Eucharist (Communion).

Oh, I miss peeps and all its sugar glory at Easter time.

Lola, please send me your address via a private message. I would LOVE to send you a package of Peeps and will do so in memory of my mom. She'd get a kick out of it.

Also, Ms L...you PM is full....hugs, JJ