of bunnies and bells

Happy Chocolate-Egg Day!

I've decided that I love Catholic France with all of its days off in the Spring. We've got a long weekend with Easter Monday and then several more days off in May. Fabulous!

I remember the first Easter I was here wondering why there were so many chocolate bells in the stores. Then I was told that the bells are the ones bringing the Easter eggs! How funny! I guess its not any better than thinking that a bunny is bringing Easter eggs but it makes me giggle every year!

No major plans over here. A friend asked me what I would be doing for Easter and I was surprised to think that the last time I celebrated Easter was when I was still living at home in high school.

That isn't to say that I don't have fond memories of Easter Sunday. It would all start a few days before Easter. Mom would make a Costco run for a huge pack of big white eggs (none of the French brown ones... ) and we would spend an afternoon boiling dyeing some of them and the rest would be blown free of all the goop inside. That was always the most fun, knowing you were grown-up enough to try and blow the eggs yourself. Pricking little holes in both ends and then your eyes popping out of your head trying to blow out the white and yolk without breaking the shell. Then we would let them dry, draw a little bunny and a Happy Easter and fill it in with watercolors. The ones we deemed the best would then be shellaced and hung on the little tree. Year after year we would open up the box of eggs to see past years. Even after all these years I still find Mom's bunnies are always the best and wish she could come over here and draw one on my egg for me.

The morning of would be waiting in my pjs with my little sister at the top of the stairs. Waiting for Mom to check and see if the Easter Bunny had come to visit. The upon the word we bounded down the stairs to the kitchen table to feast our eyes on the 2 Easter baskets waiting for us. The basket was usually started for us, a big chocolate bunny or egg, one for each of us to be fair. Then the race would start! Running all around the house, knowing the traditional hiding places, finding new ones... always checking to see who had found more. Healthy competition right?

Easter never been a religious celebration for me, but a tradition that I am sure I will always preserve.

Happy Easter! Joyeuses Pâques!