Not so much now—though I always try and grab a Cadbury egg or two, when they’re available. And there was that odd variety of pastel M&Ms that I remember that I’m still looking for…—but when I was a kid, it was fairly biggish. The whole extended family is pretty irreligious, but when there were a lot of tykes around, my aunt would host a big easter egg hunt for everyone. A lot of fun for all, but it was strictly bunnies and chocolate stuff.
There were a few favorite Easter Specials I remember, too, though I think the only one with anything close to a christ figure was the “Peter and the Magic Egg” that PAAS made, and the guy didn’t actually die. It did have a horrifying steampunk cyborg farmer, though.
Go to church, refer to it as a religious holiday at all.
It was ages before I realized that Easter had a religious aspect to it at all. Of course, I didn’t really begin to figure out the differences between different religions until I was about 12 or so. Until then, it was all some baffling monolith that I didn’t know anything about.
I celebrate the Spring Equinox. Easter is not even on my radar, really, since both my kids are too old for egg hunts and baskets of candy and we don’t do church. That’s about all Easter is, in my experience.
And of course, Easter is simply a co-opting of the celebration of spring anyway…same symbolism, same season.
Atheist here, raised mainstream Protestant. We have a neighborhood egg hunt for the kids the day before Easter. On Easter morning, we do more eggs and Easter baskets. That’s it. And the reason to do it is just for the fun and tradition of it.
I am not a believer. When the kids were young they wanted to know why they didn’t get an Easter basket like their friends. I told them I would make them one if they agreed to get up on Sunday morning, get dressed nicely and go to church like their friends. Either we follow the religion or we don’t. Never heard a word about it again.
Raised Jewish, mostly atheist now. Would never consider celebrating Easter any more than I’d consider celebrating Christmas. Although I like stale Peeps.
We’re atheist UUs. I like Reeses peanut butter eggs and I usually get the kids some chocolate. Other than that, my family doesn’t do anything. Last year, my mom invited us over for the afternoon. She made a ham and taught my son how to play poker. I think the poker cancels out the ham.
My UU Fellowship does do a special Easter sermon, but the focus is on new beginnings and rebirth in a very metaphorical sense.
One easy way to remember is to recall that the latest day on which Easter can occur in the C of E is April 25, so none of the long weekends in May contains Easter Sunday.
Atheist here-- I strictly observe Holy Monday, when all the chocolate is half price at the supermarket. But the candy is the only reason I even know when the holiday is each year.
Sometimes I do something on the vernal equinox, but it’s so separate from the Easter stuff I grew up with that it doesn’t register as being Easter-y at all.
Only when it falls on my birthday. But then I’m only really celebrating my birthday and not Easter. The next time they coincide is 2057. This year I get my birthday off since it falls on Good Friday.
I tell the kiddies the whole Easter story. All about the Last Supper with Santa and the elves, and how Santa was made to wear a crown of holly before he was crucified. And how he rose from the dead and flew away on his sleigh.
At Christmas time I tell them about the immaculate conception of the bunny born in the barn in Bethlehem.
Also, first time I had a chocolate bunny was about 8 years ago. I was griping that those chocolate bunnies looked good but I couldn’t quite bring myself to buy one. A friend got me one as a sort-of gag. Th’ damned things are HOLLOW!!! I was so disappointed. I thought they were solid.
Atheist, growing up, my parents (also atheist/agnostic) got me eggs, as did other relatives, one religious relative sends me a card every year- my parents own a tourist attraction in the english Lake District, and Easter Weekend is normally the busiest weekend of the year for them, so they were always working, and as soon as I was old enough so was I. Would normally go out for dinner, but that was a celebration of the fact they’d had a busy day and everyone was too tired to cook . Now I may or may not be at work, but if I’m not I don’t pay more attention than is required to eat chocolate (notmally the following week when it’s cheap). I suppose I just think of it as a spring celebration.
My brother, by the way, gives up alcohol for lent every year- despite the fact he’s the most anti-religious one of the family.
. Now I may or may not be at work, but if I’m not I don’t pay more attention than is required to eat chocolate (notmally the following week when it’s cheap). I suppose I just think of it as a spring celebration.