Too Old for the Easter Bunny? by Ginny Baird

Do you still do Easter baskets? The problem with holiday traditions, I’m learning, is not knowing when to start them (when the kids are young), but knowing when to stop. My husband and I have six kids between us, ranging in ages 19 to 30, and believe it or not, they all get Christmas stockings. This in part is due to the fact that everyone comes home for Christmas, and year-after-year we’ve wanted to preserve the tradition for the ah-hem…baby.

Finally, last year at Easter, hubby decided enough was enough. We only had one child home for that holiday, and our baby, who was then a high school senior, was already 18. Surely, he didn’t expect to rise early anticipating a visit from Peter Cottontail? His sad face said it all as he hunted around the hearth looking disappointed in his robe. Gee, that felt like a bad-mom moment. “But dear,” my husband sweetly reminded me, “the boy is practically in college.” Practically yes, but when his older siblings were his age they were still getting Easter baskets in deference to the younger children who came behind them. When is enough really enough, and how do you know when to stop?

While I understand the true spirit of the holiday has nothing to do with a fluffy white rabbit, having had children in the house for so long has made characters like the Easter Bunny nearly as real and endearing as the actual people who've lived here. Perhaps this is a sign that, in my mommy heart, I’m having trouble letting my kids’ childhoods go and acknowledging they’re growing up. Though, I’m not the only one challenged by changing traditions. Last year, our youngest was pretty disappointed too. So much so that I'd planned to sneak off to the store—one last time—to buy a big chocolate bunny, jelly beans, plastic eggs and Peeps… Then, I discovered the baby had made other plans and wasn't even coming home! 

So this year, it will be just my husband, me and our pets in the house. Will we receive a visit from the Easter Bunny? Probably not, but I may have to find a different excuse for buying Easter chocolates. 

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New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Ginny Baird writes contemporary romance novels and novellas. Her latest sweet romance release is The Calendar Brides, available at Amazon, iBooks, Barnes & Noble and Kobo. Want to keep up with news from Sweet Romance Reads authors? Sign up for the SRR newsletter today.