Hippity Hoppin'

Peter Cottontail by Gene Autry

Here comes Peter Cottontail
Hoppin' down the bunny trail
Hippity hoppin', Easter's on its way
Bringin' every girl and boy
Baskets full of Easter joy
Things to make your Easter bright and gay
He's got jelly beans for Tommy
Colored eggs for sister Sue
There's an orchid for your mommy
And an Easter bonnet too
Oh! here comes Peter Cottontail
Hoppin' down the bunny trail
Hippity hoppity, happy Easter Day
Here comes Peter Cottontail
Hoppin' down the bunny trail
Hippity hoppin', Easter's on its way
Try to do the things you should
Maybe if you're extra good
He'll roll lots of Easter eggs your way
You'll wake up on Easter mornin'
And you'll know that he was there
When you find those chocolate bunnies
That he's hiding everywhere
Oh! here comes Peter Cottontail
Hoppin' down the bunny trail
Hippity hoppity, happy Easter Day
Hippity hoppity, happy Easter Day

Chatting with my sister-in-law yesterday about the upcoming Easter season and the need to buy our daughters dresses, it struck me how far we've come in just a few decades. These days, the girls are shopping at Old Navy and Justice. We both fondly reminisced about our own memories of our mothers dragging us through a department store and not emerging until we had a complete ensemble including:  itchy/fancy dress, dress coat, hat, white gloves, white patent leather shoes, and a fancy little purse. I'm afraid those days are gone.

I still enjoy Easter and the whole season around it. Here are my seven favorite things about Easter.

1. Chocolate. More than Christmas or even Halloween, this holiday is a free pass to graze, delight, or just binge on chocolate. Hey, you can hit that swim suit diet hard in May.

2.  A new outfit. Even though I don't do the whole get up anymore, I do still try to buy a new dress for Easter. 

3.  If Spring is not here already, it will be soon.

4.  Egg Hunts. I enjoy watching the kids almost as much as they enjoy hunting.

5.  Family. Gone are the days of regularly scheduled family reunions so this is a good  time of year (and, sadly, one of just a couple) when you get to see extended family.

6.  A feeling of rebirth. Birds are chirping, you start hearing crickets at night. Flowers bloom. The days are longer. You hear lawn mowers in your neighborhood.

7.  Easter is a reminder to all - regardless of their belief - that we, as Christians, serve and love a living God. He's alive!


But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb, bringing the spices which they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. And it happened that while they were perplexed about this, behold, two men suddenly stood near them in dazzling apparel; and as the women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, "Why do you seek the living One among the dead? "He is not here, but He has risen. Remember how He spoke to you while He was still in Galilee, saying that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again." And they remembered His words, and returned from the tomb and reported all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. Now they were Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James; also the other women with them were telling these things to the apostles. And these words appeared to them as nonsense, and they would not believe them. But Peter arose and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen wrappings only; and he went away to his home, marveling at that which had happened.

Luke 24:1-12