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| Holy Easter cake in the shape of The Lamb. |
I never know what to do with Easter, so I think this year I will finally do absolutely nothing and feel fine about it. I was raised Catholic, but always found this holiday disappointing and sad compared to my favorite, Christmas. December 25th had sparkling lights, rich colors and a story of the Christ child being discovered by night. Easter felt pale and washed out with its pastels, Holy Week solemnity and quick sugar rush in bright sunlight. Half-hearted Easter Sunday festivities would be followed by Sunday night movies about the life of Christ. Americans can really make the story of Jesus depressing and boring, at least in the eyes of a child.
Even after I chose atheism, for years Easter still had a powerful emotional charge. I’d get lonely and sad on that day for no reason. I’d console myself with a lamb cake or a cross cake, those bakery confections with the most frosting per square inch. For a frosting lover like me, they made the day tolerable, but just.
Somehow this Easter problem resolved itself over the past few years. Part of what helped was having a dog to take care of. The rest of the solution must have been general healing of my emotional baggage because I’ve never done anything to try to get over how depressing I find Easter. But somehow, this year, I feel no dread about it at all. It’s going to be okay.
Easter 2014 will just be another day for me. Like many Sundays, I’ll fill it with some of my favorite things: brunch with friends, reading and naptime. There might be some cake in there, but there doesn’t need to be. If anyone wishes me a happy Easter, I’ll say, “Yes. It is.”
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| Even holier Easter cake with even more frosting. |
Monica – that sounds like a great way to spend the day.
Sometimes we get lazy at Easter and just make hamburgers and hang out on the deck. But only if the extended family is NOT coming. 🙂