Happy Easter

Easter dinner at my parents when we were young “adults” (if we dared to use that term so loosely!) was always interesting. Mostly because nobody arrived at the same time, and everyone brought a different definition of the word “help.” By the time the coats are piled on the bed someone had already lost a shoe in the entryway, and the house smelled like turkey, ham, and mom’s homemade buns that honestly made people forget their own names for a second. One of my older cousins showed up one time carrying a mysterious foil-covered tray like it contained either a side dish, a small engine or an experiment from the oil patch. “Don’t worry, it’s my special salad,” he said. Nobody asked what made it special, because we had learned by this time that asking questions may result in having to eat surprise ingredients out of politeness.

My siblings would arrive in a stampede of hello’s, offered their opinions on mostly everything, and announced “I brought something!” (Mostly chocolate covered bunnies and candy!) Meanwhile, the turkey rested on the counter like a celebrity avoiding eye contact, and the ham sat nearby, glossy and confident, as if it had already won? The lightly browned homemade buns were dumped in a large bowl, warm and innocent, absolutely unaware they were about to become the centre of an unspoken competition.

“Okay,” my cousin announced raising his utensil, the way a man does when he’s about to improve something nobody asked him to improve. He lifted the foil off his tray. It was…green. Mostly. There were marshmallows in it, “It’s tradition,” he said, as if marshmallows had personally attended the first Easter.

At the table, we did the usual family warm-up: a debate about whether the chairs were “fine where they are” (they were not), an observation about the fancy dishes, and usgirls were discussing the correct ratio of potatoes to everything else. Dad was carving the turkey methodically; each slice was precise until there was a generous mound of delicious meat on the platter for our large family.

When we finally served, the room went quiet. Plates filled fast: turkey, ham, stuffing, potatoes, gravy and vegetables that were clearly invited out of obligation. Now you’re wondering what the buns have to do with an unspoken competition. Well, the bowl would hit the table and suddenly my oldest brother announced he was taking orders for buns. If you said yes, the service was hostile. He fired a bun in your general direction, and you had better be quick enough to catch it. He avoided eye contact with my mom who loudly disapproved, and her practiced facial expression (for many years) was enough to stop you in your tracks and silence you with a raised eyebrow and glaring eye! You wouldn’t want buns at this point; you might not even want air for a moment!

When everyone was fed, somebody was wearing gravy on their sleeve like a badge, the conversation was lighter and nobody had taken anything too personally. Even the “special salad” got a few brave takers. Easter dinner was a success!

Fast forward to today, we have a three-generation family gathering at a hall complete with potluck dinner, Easter egg hunt and games for all ages. It is a fullcontact arts-and-crafts event. First comes the Great Egg Dye Debate: do we go with delicate pastel shades like respectable springtime citizens, or do we dunk those eggs in dark, dramatic colours like they’re auditioning for a movie trailer? Then we decorate; wax crayons for “fine detail,” sparkly decals that stick to everything except the egg, and those little cardboard stands that make each masterpiece look like it’s on display (until they collapse). And then it’s outside for the hunt. The kids line up like determined detectives, the adults pretend they’re “just supervising,” and somewhere out there is a wily, carrot powered suspect who’s clearly been hiding eggs with a PhD in mischief. There’s tiptoeing. There’s dramatic pointing. There’s at least one person checking the same bush five times like it’s going to confess. By the end, we’re all happy and triumphant… Happy Easter!