Easter at the LeGendre's: It's all fun and games until somebody's burns their nose...

After talking with many of my friends, I have discovered that Easter tends to be a laid back holiday for most families. Church in the morning, lunch in the afternoon, and egg hunts in the backyard if weather permits. Through in some candy, pastel colors and way too many hard-boiled eggs and you’ve got yourself the typical American Easter celebration.

Here is another thing I have discovered: my family is extremely atypical when it comes to Easter celebrations. If you visited my house this past Sunday, you were more likely to believe that the 22^nd Olympiad was taking place, because in my family Easter equals game central. Ever since my mom was little, we have a slew of tradition games that take place (traditional in the sense that we have done them for 40 years. Not tradition in the sense that you have heard of them or played them). Let me tell you folks: Easter gets crazy, Easter gets exciting, and most of all, Easter gets competitive. Here’s the rundown of games:

• ·          The Money Hunt: My great-aunt Stella started this game: she would save her spare change every year, wrap each coin individual in wrapping paper, and hide it around the yard. While Aunt Stella passed away a few years ago, the tradition holds strong. This year coins were hidden everywhere from the top of our tree house to underneath the bricks of the deck. I may still have mulch marks on my jeans from the little scuffle my sister and I had trying to reach a money pot hidden within the flowerbed…
• ·         The Nose Roll: Here is all you need to know. You place a plastic Easter Egg at one end of the living room carpet. You then must roll the egg to the other end of the living room. With your nose. The fastest time wins. Yep, that’s right folks, I practice nose stretches all year. This is my far the most coveted title in our family.
• ·         Egg Bocce Ball: Same rules of the traditional game, but family dyed hard boil eggs replace typical bocce balls. A few neighbors gave us puzzling looks this year when we were chucking eggs around the yard…

Sometimes the battle wounds of nose burns and money hunt bruises might give off more of a feeling of Good Friday as opposed to Easter Sunday. However, at the end of the day, you’ll find one happy family. For instance, I came out of the day with yummy candy, hilarious hunting stories, and the title of Nose Roll champion (4.61 seconds baby)! Most of all though, I always finish the day with big smiles and an intense love for my family. Our traditions each year remind me how lucky I am to be part of a family that truly enjoys having fun with each other. Stories from previous Easters get told year after year, creating that deep family bond critical for bringing people together. Hard-boiled eggs and nose rolls might not be the typical material, but they build a strong foundation for my family.