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Past Easters

June Donohue - Columnist
Posted 4/8/21

One of my earliest memories of Easter with my family in Callicoon Center was when I was about seven or eight. Some older kids came by to visit me shortly before Easter and I was busy coloring eggs at …

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Past Easters

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One of my earliest memories of Easter with my family in Callicoon Center was when I was about seven or eight. Some older kids came by to visit me shortly before Easter and I was busy coloring eggs at a little table in the kitchen.

I told my friends that I was helping the Easter Bunny. My friends were astonished and one of them said, “But you don't believe in the Easter Bunny anymore.” My mother was in another part of the kitchen and I said, “Shh - My mother doesn't know that.” As it turned out my mom did hear my comment and was touched by my desire to not spoil the experience for her.

For me, as a child, the Easter Egg hunt was a series of notes placed at various places in and out of the house, such as, look in the garage where there would be another note - look on the telephone pole, etc. with the final one ending with a basket full of colored eggs and candy.

My husband and I were staying with my parents when our first child, Michael was born. Jim went back and forth to and from New Jersey where he was looking for a place for us to live. Mike was born on Good Friday at the little hospital in Callicoon in 1955. When Jim visited me on Easter Sunday he presented me with an Easter bonnet. He may have purchased it that Saturday at the Bandbox in Callicoon. I remember my Aunt Elly being even more impressed than I was.

We had two more children after Michael and Jim, and I would go to the country from where we lived in New Jersey to spend the Easter weekend at my parents house. After church my mom would cook a big dinner. There would be ham and pineapple with scalloped potatoes as well as sweet potatoes. Then the tradition of the notes would take place for our children to enjoy.

My mother always made a big deal over Easter. There was an egg tree made of eggs that had their insides blown out after they were colored. She would bake a lamb cake and would make coconut icing for it and would decorate it with raisins for the eyes, nose and mouth and a ribbon around its neck.

I still have the lamb cake pan but haven't used it in years. This year we are celebrating Easter and Mike's birthday all on one day which is on April 8.

My granddaughter, Shauna is visiting her half sister in California along with her mother. She now has a baby nephew who is only one and a half so too young to enjoy looking for notes, but Shauna said as soon as he is old enough she will do it with him.

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