When I grew up, we did not have Easter egg hunts. Once I married and moved to the farm it was all new to me. My new family was accustomed to having Easter egg hunts.

At first, we met at Grandma’s and Grandpa’s house. The men usually hid the eggs. There was also something special for each of us to find. I remember one year my husband’s birthday fell on Easter Sunday. That year I bought him a new ladder. I hid it outdoors for him to find.

We took a lot of photographs so there are pictures of our hunts. Often, we had visitors. Dick’s cousins, Rita and Keith, were often with us. That habit goes back a long time since they had been coming to the farm since they were small. I recall Ethel talking about dropping the jellybeans and them rolling down the stairs creating a lot of noise as the Easter bunny filled baskets at the farm.

I think we ate our meal prior to the hunts because after, all the children wanted to do was eat their candy! The cousins had so much fun together. There was always time to play while the men did evening chores. Sometimes we played games. Sometimes the children just played together.

There were also Easter egg hunts at church. At one of them up at the Gouldtown Church it was so hot the day of program practice that the chocolate melted. The children had to take their candy home and put it into the refrigerator to harden once again before they could eat it.

When we started to attend the Akeley United Methodist Church, we had hunts down there. Sometimes someone hogged all of the eggs that were hidden. We devised a method where each child had to find their own baskets. That was a much fairer way.

Eventually, Easter was held at Hickory Heights. The family had gotten so large that we quit getting together. I hid eggs and small gifts for my children, their spouses, and the grandchildren.

One year I did a scavenger hunt. I wrote clues that I hid around the yard. Each child had their own clues to find their basket. They had so much fun with that activity that they asked me to do another one the next year.

Now with no young ones Easter is much quieter. I usually fix a ham and some side dishes and we eat. After that I give the grandchildren some candy from me. Don so enjoyed the holidays with my children and grandchildren. He was part of our day even before we married. One year he brought me an Easter decoration. I still get it out every year.

One year I made homemade candy. I think it was the year after the pandemic. I bought different flavor oils and made a variety of candy. I used a fondant recipe that I had done many times. I made each flavor a different shape so that whoever got it would know what they were getting. Only one grandson came home that year so he got a good supply of the candy.

We used to make candy all of the time. Grandma had a recipe that called for powdered sugar, pineapple, cherries, coconut, and nuts. It was a very large recipe so we made big eggs decorated with names for the whole family.

The year Dick and I got married Grandma had made her Easter candy. When I appeared with some of my friends, she went to the cellar way to get her candy to treat everyone. The box shifted and the candy spilled all over the floor. I felt so sorry for her. She did have some left in the box to treat. I am not sure what she did with the rest of the candy.

Easter meant we always went to church. Often, we were a little late. The men had chores to do. Our little church was always filled on Easter Sunday. Families came together. We either sat way up front or we had to sit in chairs going up the aisle. There literally were chairs everywhere.

One Easter Sunday, it was time to change the clocks. My husband and I arrived at church just as everyone were leaving. Guess who forgot to change her clocks!

There will be no Easter egg hunt for us this year. I expect a small family gathering with just the meal to celebrate. If you have youngsters enjoy your time with them because they grow up so fast.

Ann Swanson writes from her home in Russell, Pa. Contact at hickoryheights1@verizon.net.