Easter Traditions

When I was a kid growing up we had Easter Egg hunts at Easter time.  The Easter Bunny would scatter Easter eggs all over the front room and then the four of us kids would have a grand time finding them all.  It made for some chaotic moments as we'd each spy an egg here or there and then make a dash for it, hoping to get it before one of the siblings beat us.  One up-side was often not all the candy eggs got found and a lucky child would occasionally find a missed egg in the days or weeks after Easter.  The down-side was that not all the candy eggs got found and they'd liter the house here and there for days and weeks afterward.  I suppose that wasn't so bad of a down-side because as soon as a missed candy got noticed it was take care of.  Nobody had to be asked to take care of it whenever one turned up.

Anyway, the first few years we had kids old enough for Easter Egg hunts we did it that way, just scattered candy eggs and treats around and let the kids find them.  But for the sake of ease, after several years we began having treasure hunts, complete with clues and searches.  It got real fun as the kids got old enough to have the clues be riddles, rather than simply telling them where to find the next stash.  So we'd have one clue stuck somewhere out of the way, hoping it wouldn't get noticed right away.  We didn't want any of the kids finding the first clue and following them all, learning where all the stashes were ahead of time.  Yeah, sometimes some sharp eyed kid would stumble onto a stash and follow the clues from there but I don't think that happened very often.  Anyway, one clue would lead to another, through four or five clues, each with a stash of goodies, until they'd found them all.  Then we'd sit down and divide the goodies in each stash between all the kids so that it came out pretty much fair.  I liked that lots more than just laying candy out helter skelter and letting the kids go wild for several minutes.

Anyway, there came the time when all the kids had grown up enough that we quit having Easter Egg hunts.  But this year we had kids and grand-kids home for Easter, almost half of the grand-kids.  So we decided to have a traditional treasure hunt; clues, stashes, and everything.  We stuck the first clue on the fridge figuring that with all the other stuff sticking to the refrigerator door no one would notice a little piece of paper with the first clue.  Well, that turned out to be a good idea that didn't work.  Fortunatley, while the kid that found the first clue did follow them all, she did not disturb any of the stashes.  So when it was time everything was still intact and ready. Grandma pulled the note out and the hunt was on!

 

The first clue sent them scurrying into the laundry room, looking in the dryer.

Didn't take them long there at all.  The next clue sent them off to the drawer in the kitchen where we keep all our measuring cups and spoons. I had been a little worried about having a stash in that drawer because we have one or two little boys who love playing in that drawer.  But it worked out okay.

The next clue sent everyone to the coat closet, where we keep a crate with all the winter hats, mittens, gloves, and scarves.  We didn't bury the stash in them, but maybe we should have.

The last clue sent them all back into the kitchen, to the cupboard where we keep most of the mixing bowls.

This was the big stash.  The first three had been little baggies, teasers with just a little bit a candy.  But this last one had an Easter bag for each child, a bunch of candy and a couple small toys.

They all had fun, everybody got excited and had a good time.  Just like old times.  It was fun.  Little kids and magic, it never goes away.