For Easter Festivities: Krista Fleming

I’ve always loved the way we celebrate Easter, from the festive colors that can brighten my day to the egg hunts I used to participate in as a child. There’s no holiday celebrated like it and that makes it all the better. 

I have many memories of being with my family on Easter, especially racing down the stairs to shout “Happy Easter” first and collecting as many plastic eggs as possible. Easter egg hunts are an easy and fun chance for kids to explore their surroundings in a safe way, even if they miss some eggs here and there. It was always about seeing who could find the most eggs — a healthy competition I wouldn’t have traded for the world.

While many people argue that the commercialized Easter games are only decent for those at a young age, I have to disagree. I may have loved Easter egg hunting when I was younger, but I enjoy the holiday far more now that I’m older. Easter gives teenagers volunteer opportunities they don’t get otherwise, and these experiences are ones I have loved. I’ve hung out with preschoolers while they search for eggs, helped my friends who were dressed up as the Easter Bunny go from place to place and a multitude of other activities. 

Overall, there is no downside to Easter. Candy is usually on sale before the holiday, and even more so after, which makes convincing my parents to buy me chocolate a little easier. Easter is a great time to see family members, has many entertaining volunteering activities for teenagers and provides a holiday elementary schoolers love. I cannot wait to celebrate with the fun colors, egg hunts and seeing my family. 

Against Easter Festivities: Nyla Smith 

As Easter nears around the corner, I think it’s time we talk about the many problems with the commercialized holiday.

I, like many others, am not very fond of the way we celebrate Easter. Egg hunting is the most dispiriting game known to man due to the lack of effort that goes into the competition rewards. I have firsthand experience with the severe disappointment of getting a terrible prize after completing an egg hunt. While winning an Easter egg hunt isn’t fun, losing is worse. Looking back on it, I remember many jealous and disappointed kids. The only good part of the game was the rare occasion that we’d get candy. 

Besides the disappointment of not getting a good gift and being jealous of my peers, there was also a dramatic shift in terms of egg hunting eligibility. The egg hunt I attended recently was my first egg hunt in nine years. The sad part is that nine years ago, I wanted to compete in another egg hunt, but was unable to. I waited for another hunt to be held for two years, but it never happened. I was considered too old to compete, and there were no younger kids to play with, so they just stopped making the hunts. I remember loathing my friends who were able to still compete in them, knowing it would never happen for me. 

I know a lot of people say that Easter celebrations are for everyone, but that simply isn’t the case. The sad truth is adults age out of the holiday, and will forever be treated like a 30-year-old trying to get candy on Halloween. My memories of Easter are filled with disappointment. There’s a judgment on age and an underlying feeling of competition that will always be present.