Easter celebrates the season of renewal. For many kids, it's mostly about jellybeans and egg hunts. Likewise, for many adults, it's an excuse to drink champagne before noon and eat half a dozen deviled eggs in one sitting.
Whether your family goes to church Easter morning or just gathers in the spring sunshine, the holiday is a lovely excuse to get together, and that's a beautiful thing. But these days, with the way social media can dictate our choices, many families feel the need to go over-the-top when it comes to Easter traditions.
Here's the thing: Holidays should be about being together, first and foremost. And truly, no one needs to be stressing themselves out about an Easter basket.
Unfortunately, it just doesn't feel like that these days. And if you decide to go against the grain, and not load your kids up with Easter candy, presents, and even cash inside their plastic eggs this year, you almost have to avoid social media just to feel like you didn't fail as a parent.
The truth is, social media has driven bizarre reactions to holidays. It's like parents are all trying to out-do one another, or at least make sure that their kids don't miss out on any holiday "magic" — despite the fact that making holidays solely about gifts misses the point in the first place.
Still, it's easy to get swept up in holiday mania. I mean, just last month, parents transformed into sneaky leprechauns for St. Patrick's Day. Social media was filled with creative hunts, gifts, and tricks. Parents who didn't get the memo that St. Paddy's Day has now become about gift giving were either like, "Oh no! My poor babies!" or "Seriously … WTF?!"
It's all a little much. And not only is it a little much for parents to have to plan, it's a little much for kids to get used to. But aside from spoiling our kids rotten is maybe not the best response to each and every holiday that comes along, I think it's important to think about the fact that holidays should not be about competing.
While we all want to give our kids a bit of holiday magic here and there, by the looks of the internet, so many holidays have become about being the best, most creative, thoughtful, crafty parent out there. But can we all just stop? Like … knock it off. Chill out. Resist the urge to be the best.
Listen: I love dyeing Easter eggs. I even like arranging them sweetly in a couple of non-handcrafted, crusty old Easter baskets we've had for a million years, popping some quarters in plastic eggs, and calling it a day. Throw a chocolate bunny on top and I really feel like a winner.
That is, until my eyeballs hit Facebook and I realize other kids got $20 bills in their egg and a dozen presents.
Who decided this was the way?
Personally, I think magic gets sucked straight out of holidays the second we start competing for cutest Easter basket on the internet. We all have traditions that we enjoy, whether we created them ourselves or they got passed down from our parents and their parents. Here's a novel idea: What if we just stuck to our forms of magic and didn't worry about who was doing what?
It's hard to be the parent who doesn't get sucked into holiday madness. But I'm here to say: you really don't have to. You aren't a bad parent if you don't fill Easter baskets to the brim with candies and coins or dolla dolla bills. You aren't a bad parent if you neglect to put one together at all.
Holidays shouldn't be a competition for who does the most or celebrates the best. They should be as unique as those families themselves. Do Easter, and every holiday, your way. Even if that means doing nothing at all.
The kids will be alright.
