Reminiscence in Pastel Shades 4/17/2022

By: Jennifer Richardson Holt

There are lots of elements of Easter that stick in my head.  Of course, the other holidays like Christmas and the like do as well but there are some very specific aspects that are unique to today’s holiday that somehow have nestled themselves into the folds of my mind and escaped the plague of forgetfulness to which I am often an unwilling victim.  I am honestly a bit surprised at all the things my memory has held on to when it comes to the Easters of the past.  Some may be unique to my experience of the holiday, but some may cause wistful nods among some of you reading this.  Now, if you’ll humor me, I would like to mosey down my colored egg lined memory lane. 

In true Southern fashion, one of the first things that comes to mind is, yes, you guessed it; food.  One thing specifically pops into my head that is a memory from when I was very, very little.  The church I used to attend had a sunrise service on Easter.  We didn’t technically get there as dawn was actually breaking but it was still early enough that the springtime chill was lingering in the air and the sunlight was still low enough that it spilled dappled below the trees.  We stood outside under a few large oaks and sang a few songs and heard a brief word about another Easter and the glorious events of an early morning.  After the short service concluded we went into the fellowship hall in the back of the church.  I do not have words to describe to you what the smell was like.  All sorts of country folk had brought all sorts of country breakfast fare.  I am drooling as I type this.  Though I was probably somewhere well under 10 years old I will not ever forget those breakfasts. The one thing that is burned into the taste files of my mind is this one lady’s cheese biscuits.  These were the softest and most fluffy specimens you ever saw.  Perfect in their pale golden tops then upon biting into them the deep intense orange of a cheddar cheese that dangled in strings of delectable beauty.  If that doesn’t tickle your fancy, your fancy is broken.

Now, let me assure you, that it isn’t just the old Sunrise Service breakfast that dances around my brain’s taste buds, and as much as I think about food I feel that it is safe to say that my brain does in fact have taste buds or some grey matter equivalent.  There are of course the classic dishes that appear at least on many of the Southern tables at which I have had the pleasure of sitting. There is almost always the classic Easter ham.  I am not sure what made ham the meat of choice for the holiday. While I am all for (and actually do) the celebration of Passover on Friday, perhaps it is when we hit Easter Sunday us Christians fully embrace our Gentile ways? I am really not sure why it has become the meat of choice.  While I do enjoy a quality ham, I would have to say all the plethora of sweet options are far more my cup of proverbial tea.  I am partial to sweets of any and all kinds but for this time of year there is a very clear picture in my head of a cake with green colored coconut serving as grass and little chocolate egg candies scattered about. I guess that is about as seasonally appropriate as a dessert can get.

True to form, I have rambled on about food entirely too long. A memory that is just as imprinted upon me is Easter dresses. Every year both as a child, and I admit some effort is put into it as an adult, to find a lovely springy ensemble to wear to church on Easter Sunday was the standard.  As a young child it was simply a matter of choose a pastel shade and then find a dress in said shade that was a mass of ruffles.  I can remember mint, sunshine, robin’s egg and lavender all in a dress full of frills. And of course, no little girl’s Easter Sunday attire would be complete without white patent leather shoes and socks with lace.  I was a virtual walking fabric Easter egg as a child on those spring Sundays.  I must admit however, I am following suit with my own daughter. She isn’t quite the mass of ruffle and bows that I was but, different times call for different trends I suppose. This year she is in a lovely shade of aqua with a white daisy print in case you were curious.  Though, now that I think about it, there may be a ruffle or two.

I have talked about food and Easter dresses. That is not the variety I was hoping for. Of course most of us are familiar with egg hunts so I will spare you any adventures of avoiding ant beds and thistles. Nor will I relate the tales of eggs that aren’t found until the lawn is next mowed.  I was always petrified of people in character costumes as a child, so I have nothing to remember when it comes to the old faithful picture with the Easter Bunny.  If I’m honest, I am still not super keen on adults in character costumes. It just seems all too questionable for my tastes but to each their own.

There were and are baskets and almost as much chocolate as Valentine’s Day.  There is everything in almost any shade springtime hue that suddenly becomes Easter-esque. We had special musical performances and even the occasional drama at church.  The air was filled with joy and new hope in those same shades of bright cheery colors that springtime is known for. So many of these things I remember as a child but now I get to do them on the adult side of things.  I am hiding the eggs, planning the lovely outfits for my daughter and cooking the meals.  The atmosphere is still riddled with the victorious Hope of Easter that is as bright as the day’s color palette.  But even as an adult, I am not ashamed to admit, if someone wants to let me have a turn doing the hunting of the eggs, I’ll happily take them up on the offer.