I am a tradition-a-holic. From a very young age, I have been addicted to the traditions that surround each holiday.  Meticulously sorting Halloween candy with my brother, reading holiday-themed books with family, piling into a vehicle with friends to go on a Christmas light tour, and hand-decorating Valentine’s Day cards for classmates. Traditions are an integral part of each holiday and they are what evoke feelings of nostalgia, comfort, and most of all connection with each other.

With Easter quickly approaching, I am again reminded of the many traditions that accompany this holiday for me. I vividly remember going Easter dress shopping every year with my grandmas and feeling so fancy and so special. I remember large Easter meals at my house where both sides of my family would (and still do) gather together to share a meal and easy conversation. I remember my tiny fingers stained with food colouring from carefully decorating eggs. But mostly, I remember our family Easter egg hunts.

Our Easter egg hunts were epic. Starting from the moment my brother and I awoke on Easter morning and excitedly opened our bedroom doors, the hunt was on and it would last for hours.  No hiding place was off limits, and everything from light fixtures to floor registers were fair game. One year there was an Easter treat in the kitty litter box. I’m not joking. On more than one occasion, we were still finding Easter egg candy into the summer months.

It may sound silly to some or extreme to others, but it is an Easter tradition that I hold close to my heart and one that continues to bring me feelings of nostalgia, comfort, and connection.

Now I am a parent, and one of my greatest desires is for my children to experience the feelings of connectedness that participating in traditions can bring. This Easter, we will continue many traditions from my own childhood: Easter egg decorating, dining with family for an Easter meal, and of course an epic Easter egg hunt. But we will also start a few new family traditions: making Easter Bunny Pop’n Choc together, and cuddling up as a family to read Easter stories.