Ah, spring! The smell of fresh cut grass, blooming flowers, honey baked ham … and the sweat of children as they hunt down the sugary goodness that the elusive bunny tucked away for them. It must be Easter. Well almost!
When my Easter bunny illusions were shattered long ago I lost my buzz of excitement for a good ole fashioned egg hunt. That was, until I made a tiny egg hunting human. Now my enthusiasm has been restored, threefold even, and here’s why:
1. It can entertain the children for hours.
“Did I say there were only 30 eggs hidden? Oops, I meant 31. Keep hunting!”
Spoiler: There is no 31st egg. The deceit is all in the name of good fun, and let’s be real, the thrill of the hunt is what’s fun, not the sugar coma that follows. Telling a little fib to gain an extra hour of downtime is totally worth it, for you and your kids.
2. You get to see your husband in a bunny outfit.
“Honey, if they see you hiding the eggs, and you’re not in costume, they’ll know the bunny is a lie.”
Finding out the true identity of the Easter bunny is a slippery slope to the tooth fairy and then Father Christmas, and then before you know it you have a 6-year-old with an existential crisis. Besides, who can resist the good-natured teasing in dressing your hubs up like a giant bunny? Be sure to have your camera phone ready, because the awesomeness of the grumpy hubby-bunny photos you’ll gain will keep you going until next Easter.
3. It provides opportunities for classic photos.
“The eggs will disappear if you don’t let mummy take a photo.”
The confused (and sometimes crazed) look of a child looking for a hidden piece of potential candy is priceless, especially if you’ve convinced them to wear bunny ears. You can kick it up a notch by taking a video at the start of the hunt. Three, two, one … mayhem! Roller derby girls have nothing on the photogenic gusto of children hunting for Easter eggs.
4. You can slip in some veggies.
“That’s a carrot made of magical bunny sugar, give it a try.”
The novelty of the found egg is so great the children just may eat the veggie you loaded in it before they realise just what’s happening. When they catch on, tell them that for every sweetie egg they eat, they must eat a dreaded veggie egg, or the Easter bunny won’t come next year. Who said Father Christmas threats are the only ones that garner good behavior in children?
5. Your children will wear awesomely cheesy formal attire.
“The eggs will disappear if you don’t wear this pastel green suit with a purple bowtie.”
You can use their uncontrollable excitement for the hunt to bribe your children into outfits they would normally shun with the ferocity of a rabid animal. Then, utilize point #3 before they ruin the outfit in the hunt. Or, consider the prospect of taking a before and after photo.
6. You can get some free gardening out of it.
“For every weed you pick while you’re hunting, the Easter bunny will leave an extra egg next year. He prefers groomed yards.”
The desire for sweeties will likely cause your children to overlook the absurdity of this claim and pull up some weeds on the off chance that it does actually elicit more goodies next year. Gardening burns calories, it’s good for them!
7. The hunt will tire them out.
“Just one more egg to find. You can do it children.”
Part of the charm of the “extra egg” trick of point #1 is that you are ensured exhausted children at the end of the hunt. To further guarantee your children end up too tired to do anything but lay around in a hazy sugar-high euphoria, hide some eggs in safe, easily climbable trees and up some stairs.
8. Cadbury Eggs.
“That’s the special egg the bunny left for mama.”
Leave the little chocolate eggs for the children and keep the good stuff for yourself. A giant chocolate egg filled with sugary gooeyness equals heaven (and maybe the fast track to diabetes). Whatever evil genius thought to create a display of Cadbury in supermarkets should be given a medal, and then exiled.
So sit back, grab your mimosa, and smile as that invisible rabbit graces your Easter Sunday with tired yet happy children, a groomed garden, an album full of hilarious photos, and some personal treats. Easter really is the best!
All photo’s of Pippa, Sara and Jula are taken by by Evelyne Photography for Les enfants a Paris.
All girls wear clothes by Principesque – www.principesque.com
