To think it’s easter not christmas?

[backagainohdear]

What is going on with easter these days?
My social media is full of photos of piles of easter eggs, toys & clothes!
Mine got one each (well a tub of haribo for one as he doesn’t like easter eggs.)
AIBU to think people go over the top in some weird bid to show off?

The reason there are now so many opportunities to be parted from your money is that people are willing to be parted from their money. If all families declined to participate how long would these new 'traditions' last? No point complaining if you're a part of the the problem.

It's very much a Catholic thing to celebrate Easter . But we also commemorated Lent . So for the whole time we did observe a form of fasting and fish on Fridays and encouraged to give up things like alcohol , smoking and for children sweets. So Easter was traditionally the breaking of that deprivation and chocolate eggs were to be looked forward to. And were placed on a basket.
From Holy Thursday ,Good Friday the tone was somber as if in mourning. Easter Sunday Mass was a joyful day to celebrate the risen Christ and bright new clothing was worn to church that day . Hence Easter bonnet as women used to wear hats or covering to church.

Now if course , chocolate and treats are so easily available that I think the ante had to be risen . Social media has a lot to answer for . And the availability of Easter decorations in shops etc.

I did buy mine one of those stupid surprise eggs each (Fairycorn and a car one) because they get so much chocolate from family that I didn't want to add to it.

We used to get a chocolate egg when I was a kid. We also got an outfit for mass, but that wasn't a gift, as such. We'd go shopping with mum a couple of weeks before Easter and have to try on all the outfits she liked. We didn't actually have much say in what we got! It would then hang in our room until Easter Sunday, when we'd wear it to mass, and then we'd wear the same thing to mass every Sunday until we either outgrew it or got a new Sunday outfit at Christmas. If the Easter Sunday best still fit, it was downgraded to everyday wear. If not, it was passed down to someone else in the family (I was the only girl in our house, so my stuff was passed to cousins). This was in the 90s.

We focus on the stuff that is meaningful for us which is the spring based stuff so for us easter is:

• a walk out in the woods
• a modest amount of easter eggs
• daffodils/spring flowers on the table
• roast lamb

And generally lots of spring vibes, we often go to the garden centre and choose seeds/plants etc on Easter weekend

This is lovely.

Easy way to sort that out.

Cook up some rabbit for lunch and when done, ask them if they “enjoyed the Easter bunny”. Will be the last year you have to do the madness again.

😂🤣😂 oh my god!

I don’t think it’s a new thing as I remember my Mum would always buy me a new outfit for Easter (and would until I was about 20 at uni). I would also get several eggs from her. I’d end up with about 40 because our family is so big. I remember being traumatised at the age of 14 because I finished the Easter holidays a stone heavier than I started it.

I don’t remember her ever just buying me one egg. We did an Easter egg swap the other day and she still gave me two!

I think there’s a lot of showing off for social media now a days though. I just opened Facebook to see someone I went to school with has an Easter tree with wrapped presents under it! Lots of people are very much in competition with each other.

Plenty of people do these things without posting on SM. Some people enjoy making things fun for their kids.

My Nan always bought us a new outfit and my mum has continued this and buys now for the grandchildren. Not Catholic but Nan and mum are Christian.

We have bought eggs and tickets to an event. Not massive toys or anything.

I became a mum at 18 and my eldest is an adult now, there wasn’t much social media around at the time but I remember doing him a gift bag to open for Christmas Eve. It started a new pair of pyjamas and a new dummy, as baby got older I used to use ice cube trays and melted chocolate to make my own hot chocolate stirrers and added things to it. It wasn’t anything fancy i just used to get new pjs from my own mum and fancied a tradition of our own. Because of the rise in Christmas Eve boxes and the expectations kids get my youngest just get a onesie each on Christmas Eve now. There was conversations such as “Dudley got a switch 2 in his” or “Shirley got a new phone in hers” so I stopped it. Didn’t want my kids thinking that was happening for them. I do spoil my kids at Christmas and they have Easter eggs which we will use the surplus chocolate to bake with so nothing is wasted. I love getting my kids things, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t love a Vinted haul for them or getting them some nice new bedding in the next sale. But I don’t want them to have everything or nothing becomes appreciated. I want them to experience the wait and the joy in receiving what they want.

I have been crazy busy this last few weeks but I do have a box in my loft i usually get out of spring decorations. I love seasonal decor. I just haven’t had the time this year.

Christmas has gone overboard these days too so I am not surprised Easter is huge.

As kids we always had a new outfit and a celebration for Easter. Easter and the resurrection is the most important celebration in the Christian year. We got Easter eggs but not gifts.

I'm not religious now, but still celebrate with chocolate! Always keep the good bits! I don't buy gifts, just chocolate and have a nice dinner.

Social media has hyped every occasion it's ridiculous.

I’m thinking of selling these next year.

Wonder if they’ll catch on? 🤔

The Grinch has found a friend

I’m 48 and every Easter as a child we got 2-3 new outfits and maybe 12-20 various sized eggs from family and a huge Easter basket from my nan. Every other year we got a new bike /scooter/garden toy on Easter Monday. But we’re also got Christmas Eve gifts that are very similar to the Christmas Eve boxes people do now….pjs, slippers, a new vhs, bubble bath, colouring book, popcorn, pencils etc. we also got 2-3 new outfits for Christmas too. And airport outfits. I think it was a scouser thing.

Yes when I look back to when my kids were small and we lived in an affluent area, I cringe at the nonsense that was extreme party bags and tons of plastic crap - it takes a wise head to see through it all so you're well ahead of the game. If I was going to give my 35 year old self a piece of advice, it would be don't fall for all that and just invest what you would have spent on that in a savings account. Your children will just accept it as normal and your future grown up children will thank you!

Why?
if you ‘celebrate’ Easter then I assume youre Christian & go to church today?

We are Catholic, and they get a new outfit each. And an Easter egg.

I have a different question… what social media do you use to see posts from people you actually know IRL?

I honestly can’t think of the last time where I saw an Insta post from a real person, rather than a brand or curated content account. Other than in stories.

Don’t use other social media so genuinely curious. I’d have no idea what anyone I know is up to in their private life unless they explicitly message me and send pics!

Oh and fuck the Easter spending sprees of course 😇

The absolute waste and consumerism here is nothing to be proud about.

I remember posting a pic years ago of my kids with their eggs and a 'friend' then posting a passive aggressive post about how hers only get one egg and any more was ridiculous. What they didn't know was that we had in fact only bought them one egg each, but so had 4 different grandparents and an aunt and uncle so they had 6 each altogether. They were very lucky children!

I’ve brought some spring flowers, I’m doing an egg hunt for my kids and cooking a roast for my family, I think that’s plenty.

I agree with the person that said it’s better than Christmas, I think it’s similar to thanksgiving in that it’s about spending time with family and not having to do endless gift shopping, going to parties, Christmas drinks etc

Our parents fitted us out for Whitsuntide and we had to visit relatives, dressed up in our new clothes under strict instructions to not get dirty 😂 As if!

The French would think nothing of this.

I'm not on social media but I really can't get worked up about people celebrating or the way in which they are celebrating.
It's better than fighting and bickering.

Our own celebrations this year, involve me making a buffet for 12.
After we have been to Church.
There will be prosecco, chocolate, trifle, seafood and salmon, lots of salads and hopefully a lot of laughter.

We don't have money to burn but occasions like this are markers through the year and a chance to touch base and check in with each other.

There are a lot of joyless folk on here at times.