Easters Past

Every Easter, my mind rolls back to the days of childhood and the Easters of yesteryear. My mother always made up two baskets of candy and colored eggs for my sister and me, like every other mom in town.

I was a child of the fifties and sixties, so one year we had the dyed real baby chickens that were popular during that era. I must have been pretty small; guessing less than four years old, because I only remember seeing them for a short time, then they somehow disappeared. There's still a picture somewhere of my sister dressed up in her church clothes and hat, petting those chicks in her basket. I'll never know what happened to those baby chicks, but suspect they may have ended up as Sunday dinners some months later! Those poor, doomed chicks.

I recall hunting eggs in our backyard amongst the tulips and daffodils as well as being taken to the big egg hunt at the town park. And remember the gorgeous, bouffant-skirted pastel Easter dresses my Mom made, the brand new special anklets trimmed with lace, and sparkling new white patent leather shoes. And no Easter ensemble was complete without the Easter bonnet and white gloves. Mom would go around singing 'In Your Easter bonnet, with all the frills upon it...' Speaking of those gloves, are any of you old enough to remember having those thin, white gloves for church?

When I was around twelve, I remember Mom getting me an un-Easter type dress because I felt I was way too old for frilly, full-skirted dresses and wanted something 'grown-up'. So she picked out a muted red and tan plaid dress with a pleated skirt that came with a short jacket. To make it more church-worthy, she added beige gloves, little straw hat complete with short, net veil, as well as a beige purse and matching dress shoes with tiny kitten heels. I think I was even allowed to wear hose! Ooh-la-la!

I believe that same year, since we were leaving childhood behind, instead of a basket of candy and eggs, Mom gave us a badminton set! I was surprised and disappointed, yet at the same time gratified that she thought me too old for a babyish candy basket. And it turned out, I loved playing badminton! I was always begging my sister to play. And play we did and were rather good, at least in my memory!

Sadly, the mid- to late sixties saw the demise of those proper lady-like accessories like gloves and hats. The bouffant hairstyles that became the trend didn't allow for those darling little hats. And those prim little gloves just didn't fit the casual hippie and flower-child images that reigned and ushered in the seventies.

I truly admire the British for continuing to wear the most wonderful hats and suits.  Love seeing the pictures of the Queen and Princess Kate in their exquisite millinery!  And the tradition of wearing a wildly flamboyant hat to derbies in our country makes my heart sing! But why reserve these marvelous confections just for derbies?

Love the hats! Bring back the hats!

Till next time,

"An Easter bonnet can tame even the wildest hare." ~ Unknown