Easter memories

When I was a little girl, my mother made special Easter outfits every year for my sister and me. At that time, she sewed most of our clothes, using her old black metal Singer sewing machine. (I think she was still using that machine when I was in college.) Our Easter dresses would be made out of organza and taffeta, often embroidered or otherwise embellished, and there'd always be a purse, shoes and hat to match -- and it being in the Deep South, I can remember little white gloves, too.

On Easter Sunday, we'd get all dressed up in our new finery, take photographs to commemorate the occasion, and go to church; then come home, check out our Easter baskets filled with candy and that green cellophane grass that ended up everywhere, and do the Easter egg hunt thing in the backyard. We usually got some sort of stuffed animal as a present. I've still got one of them, a small bunny rabbit, one of the few items of my memorabilia that made it through Hurricane Katrina. That bunny is tan and white now, but I think the tan part may originally have been pink, forty-five some-odd years ago. (And yes, some of those years have been mighty odd.)

Come to think of it, we also had special Christmas outfits as well. The one I remember in particular was made from burgundy-colored velveteen trimmed in white cotton lace. Since my sister and I are only two years apart, our outfits usually matched, either in design and/or color.

Although my mother had great difficulty being a parent, she did the best that she could, given where she was coming from and the hand she was dealt. On the conscious level, she and my father both doted on their little girls, although the reality often didn't match the conscious intent. As was typical for the Depression-WWII generation who were creating the American middle class from scratch, they were determined that their children's lives would be easier and more affluent than theirs. My sister and I were born in 1955 and 1953; I've seen those of us born during those years referred to as the "golden children" of the Baby Boom.

I can't remember when the last time was we got the special Easter outfits. I'm thinking I was in grade school when it stopped ... things began to change for my mother then, which resulted in a lot of ramifications down the line, so that timing would fit.

Comments

[Joanne]

Holidays are time when memories are evoked. How nice that your mother was able to sew your dresses for you. They sound beautiful. Thanks for sharing your memories today.

[Sharon]

My mom made me a new Easter outfit each year, also sewn on an old black Singer. I particularly remember the year with the "duster" that matched the aqua flowers on the dress with the yellow buttons. Those dresses were special and I wore them until I literally wouldn't fit into them anymore. Holidays were stressful times in my house, so it's good to remember the good parts.