Wednesday Treasures: Vintage Easter Memories

Hello my friends! Here it is about a week and a half before Easter already! 

And that got me to thinking about old family photos and happy Easter memories.

This was my family when I was just a very little girl...yes, that's me down in front with the red hair.

This was Easter Sunday, probably around 1953.  We were at my Aunt Audrey and Uncle Paul's house for Easter dinner apparently, because I know that is their house.  We were all dressed in our Easter Sunday finery. Since this was in Pennsylvania,  I'll bet we wore our winter coats over those pretty little spring dresses. As you can see, we kids all have our Easter baskets on display. We probably weren't allowed to eat any candy out of them until after we had our Easter dinner.   I am also thinking my Grandparents probably were there because my Grandpa always took pictures that became slides. Those were the only pictures that were in color back then, and I know this picture came from a slide because I took a picture of the slide when it was up on the screen at our last family reunion so I could get this photograph. That's probably why it isn't very clear.

Now I am sure that somewhere there are more pictures of Easter day between this one and the next one, but I don't have them...they are somewhere in boxes of photographs that are stored at my sister's house waiting for us to explore someday when she decides to retire and we have lots of time.

I just added this picture a little later...this was my Sunday School on Easter back in about 1957 probably. Notice many of us little girls are wearing hats. I am sitting down on the floor, on the left side, behind a little boy with a dark string bow tie and has on dark pants and light jacket. I have on a hat.

This one I had in my own little album, and here we are in Florida about 8 years after the previous picture. 

This is me, my sister Doris, and my mother.  Mom made my dress, and it was a lavender tiny gingham check.  Don't you love the crinolines?  

My sister made her own dress. She was a very good seamstress, especially for a teenager.  Her dress was also a lavender and white check. The jacket was lavender.  My Mother's dress was a light blue if I recall correctly. I don't think she made that dress, but she worked full time as a secretary at the Sheriff's Office, and I don't know how she had time to make my dress, let alone do everything else she did so wonderfully. 

Please note that we are all wearing white gloves, have white purses and I am sure we had white shoes too.

Here I am again:

Now fast forward a few more years, to probably around 1966 or 67.  This is my cousin Becky and me.

We were always together for holidays (and have lots of fun memories of the things we did). She and her mother, "Aunt Marion", lived in the next town over from us. My grandparents also lived in that same town. We all moved to Florida in the late 1950's.

I believe this is in my grandparents' back yard.  Oh, and guess what?  I made my dress for that Easter. I remember it well.  It was a pale blue kind of a smooth crepe knit material, and the sleeves were a see- through chiffon material of the same color. (I think. I may have my fabrics confused, but I remember the sleeves were see-through, and I don't remember lining the dress, so it must have been something else, but then again, maybe I did line it. I kind of doubt it though. That would have been a lot of work!  That was a long time ago...)   ( just noticed my shoes matched my dress! Wow! I wonder how that happened?)

Fast forward a couple more years, and here I am with my fiance', (who is now my hubby of 51+ years) the Easter before we were to be married in August.  And again I am wearing a light blue dress with white polka dots on it. I made that dress as well. Since this was 1969, the skirt length was inched up a bit, but that was the style. I wish this picture wasn't so faded, but you can see that my hair was still quite red!  This is in the front yard at my parents' home.

That same Easter I gave John this card:

Please note that I circled the "Steiner" in Helen Steiner Rice's name above. I thought that was pretty cool that her name was Steiner, and soon my name would also be Steiner.  I also underlined words that were meaningful to us at that time as we made preparations for our marriage. John was soon to be a senior in college, and I was finishing my freshman year of college and looking for a job so we could get married in August.  I also love that this card showed that we were very much aware of seeking God's plan and purpose for our lives as well as believing in the real meaning of Easter.

Fast forward a few more years, about 9 or 10, and here is our little family on Easter, with my hubby's parents and his brother Billy.  I guess I took the picture since I'm not in it. The folks had come to visit us at our home in Ft. Pierce, where John pastoring our first church.  Precious memories...

And then fast forward another 26 years, and here we are at my parents' home, with most of my extended family...four generations.  Our one and only grandson is on the far left below on the front row, in a red shirt, holding his blue Easter basket. He was about four years old. He is now 21 years old and 6'4" tall.

This was a wonderful day, filled with Easter egg hunts and seeing who could find the golden egg with the prize $5.00 bill in it, along with many other eggs filled with candy and money. It was a lot of fun for all the little great-grandchildren. Priceless memories that still linger.

And now we come full circle from the beginning.  This is that same family that was up at the very top.

My Mom and Dad, (who are now both in heaven)

My oldest brother Russell (who is also now in heaven), me, my brother Clifford, and my sister Doris.

Sadly, this was the last Easter (2005) that our nuclear family was together for Easter, as my mother passed away the following spring.

Of course there are many other happy Easter days that I don't have time or space to share here. Our immediate family still gets together for Easter dinner, and our family tradition is to hide an Easter basket for each member of the family somewhere in the house. It gets pretty challenging for "the Easter Bunny" to find new places to hide the baskets each year so that it won't be too easy for these smart big kids to find them.  Yes, our kids are in their 40's now, but it just wouldn't be Easter without them having to look for their Easter basket. Some traditions just have to be kept. That is how my family did it when I was growing up as well, and so it is a happy tradition that must be continued.

Here's a few pictures of some of my favorite Easter bunnies:

These are each special...the little one with the butterfly on its foot belonged to our son Scott when he was little, the long dark brown one belonged to Benton, and the light brown one in the back belonged to Matthew. My mother had given them to them many years ago. 

This green bunny is mine from my childhood. My maternal Grandma Tedlie gave it to me,

so it is a real treasure (and quite old).

These fun bunnies are swinging into Easter and having such a good time:

This was a gift from a good friend many years ago.

Just some more bunnies that I've accumulated, again, they were gifts.

But please rest assured, I know Easter is not about the Easter bunny or Easter baskets or Easter egg hunts, or even about new dresses or white gloves or a ham dinner with the family...

(my grandparents always had leg of lamb for Easter, which I loved, but my family doesn't care for it so I don't get it anymore)

 Let's read "An Easter Meditation" that Helen Steiner Rice wrote once again:

That sums it up pretty well.

"There is comfort just in knowing

That God triumphed over sin,

For our Saviour's Resurrection 

Was God's way of telling men

That in Christ we are eternal...

and in Him we live again..."

That is pretty good news, wouldn't you agree?

I hope you enjoyed this little walk down the Easter memory lane with me.

May God bless you as you prepare for and contemplate the real meaning of Easter as well.

Have a wonderful week.