Easter Man

Several months ago, one of my friends and I were talking about family traditions that we enjoy sharing with our children.  

She described to me one of her family traditions centered on Easter.   She sets up her home to look like the home has been visited by the Easter Bunny.  The children are encouraged to put out carrots for the Easter Bunny.  Once she puts her little ones down for the night, she sprinkles flour around her kitchen and makes bunny foot prints with her hands.  

Easter Bunny print

She hides eggs around the house and sets out a basket of goodies for each child.  In the morning, the children find just only a partial carrot on the plate.  The find the bunny tracks, the eggs and all the goodies. The children are delighted and my friend feels she has created a magical memory for her children. 

I remember very, very early in my childhood that we also set out carrots for the Easter Bunny.  We also received baskets of goodies and had egg hunts.  However, the Easter Bunny has long taken a back seat.  As sweet as he is, he just cannot compete with the Easter Man.  

When Lyn was about 6, we were at a Easter gathering at our grandparents' house when the Easter Man made his first appearance.  One of our uncles had arrived while we were out hunting eggs.  He brought a huge foil wrapped chocolate egg and tucked it onto one of the extra deep window sills.  The house had an adobe core with 18 inch thick walls.  When we came in, he teased my Mom about missing a spot on the window when she had helped clean.  My sister spun around to see what he was talking about and spotted the egg.  She excitedly declared that the Easter Man had brought it and it was just for her.  It didn't matter that the egg was unlabeled.  Lyn just knew the Easter Man had brought it.  

The carrots were abandoned pretty much from then on.  Egg hunts didn't require the Easter Bunny and they continued.  Lyn even hunted for eggs with my eldest when they came here in 2007.  As for the basket of goodies, they transformed into a center piece.  Lyn has Mom set out her largest Nambe bowl and put some Easter grass in it.  The bowl is left out overnight for the Easter Man to fill it when he visits.  

This is what I thought of as my friend told me her family traditions.  I thought of the Easter Man.

Easter Man print

He slips in the house to decorate.

Happy Easter!