SOL 2016, D 26 jelly beans

You never know what traditions your kids will really connect with.  Apparently in our house, it is one associated with Easter.  When I was a kid, my mom would ‘hide’ jelly beans in the living room. On Easter morning, we had to avert our eyes when we walked past as the hunt wasn’t on until after breakfast.  Once we were released into the room, we would each have a basket and frantically scoop jelly beans onto it.  I am pretty sure we counted all the beans to see who ‘won’ when it was all over.  My favorite places to find the cache were along the back of the couch and in the window sills.  Both were good places to grab a lot at one time.

We started a version of that tradition with our own kids.  Instead of a hunt, the kids would wake up Easter morning to find a trail of jelly beans from their bed to their Easter basket.  It was just a fun way to start the morning but apparently for them, it was much more.

We were in Spain for Semana Santa when my kids were 11 and 13.  I don’t know, I was thinking that a trip to Spain was celebration enough for the holiday.  We attended a midnight Maundy Thursday processional and a Easter Sunday church service in a 16 th century cathedral.  But what my kids mostly remember is that the Easter bunny did not put out the jelly bean trail.  Really?

This year is the first time we have not all been together on Easter.  My husband, son and I are in Mexico while our eldest is in London doing her year abroad.  She just sent me a photo of the jelly bean trail she put out for her boyfriend.  The tradition continues.