The Chocolate Bunny - An Endangered Species

When I opened up last Saturday's newspaper, the first thing that I noticed was a large Toys R' Us insert/advertisement. It's purpose was to advertise Easter "gifts". Maybe my mind is starting to go south, but when did Easter become a gift-giving holiday?

As a kid, I do remember getting a modest Easter basket. It would usually contain a chocolate bunny (if you were really lucky, you got one that was made out of real chocolate), a couple of Mary Sue Easter Eggs and some of those little speckled malted balls. When Peter Cottontail was in an especially generous mood, we would get one of those large pecan eggs. As a husky kid, I use to practically put myself into a sugar-induced coma from power eating the contents of my Easter basket. I would wail on the Mary Sue eggs much like the way Forrest Gump plays a game of ping-pong. On more than one occasion, my Mom would point out to me, "That Easter basket was supposed to last you all month! And you ate it all in one afternoon?? Stay out of your sister's baskets!" And although it doesn't sound like much by today's standards, we really enjoyed it. A few pieces of chocolate was all that it took to keep us happy back then. Well, at least the husky boy was happy...

But Easter has since become the "spring-time Christmas". And it has nothing to do with the religious aspect of it. As Easter approaches, many parents will load the little tots into the minivan and head down to Toys R' Us for a day of shopping. Once there, the overindulged kids will pick out video games, DVD's and other gifts that have absolutely nothing to do with Easter.

This kids will run down the aisles of the toy store, screaming, "Mommy, Mommy! What can I get?"

The mother will reply, "Get anything you want, kids! It's Easter!"

It's crazy! As a young lad, I once asked for "Frampton Comes Alive" for Easter. Personally, I always thought "Do You Feel Like We Do" was way better than "Here Comes Peter Cottontail". But anyway, my Mom wouldn't have any parts of it. She said that I would have to settle for a chocolate bunny. Can you believe that? Today, it would probably be viewed as a form of child abuse.

I wonder if kids even get an Easter basket anymore. I mean, once you give them an Xbox 360, is a chocolate bunny or a 5-pack of Peeps really going to have any effect? And where do you draw the line? If it's a $300 game console at five years old, by the time the kid hits his teens, he's going to expect a Corvette!

Don't worry kids, if you didn't get what you wanted for Easter, Memorial Day is right around the corner!

kw