Hunt for Hunts

My quest this year is to find a big Easter egg hunt for the boys - they are at that perfect age where finding each egg is a magical experience for them.

Last year we missed all the hunts. I was some 15 months pregnant with Babybeast (or looked it, anyway) and wasn't really into it. That and from my fuzzy recollection, I seem to think we had an overnight emergency of sorts the night before - barfing, perhaps? Regardless, we didn't go and I still feel bad about it, so this year we are going to find one, rain or shine.

Most of the egg hunts here are conducted by big churches. I'm in Texas and like they say, people seem to do everything big here: hair, lawsuits, belt buckles, crazy, trucks, appetites, scandal, attitudes, and so on. Churches are no exception. Our family doesn't attend church, so I'm not real keen on edging into someone's religious holiday with our nonreligious empty Easter baskets held out like beggars. Doesn't seem right.

On the other hand, many of the big churches send out postcards advertising their egg hunts as "Open to the Community." I'm not entirely sure if this is meant as purely community outreach or community recruitment, but "open to the community" would seem to me to mean open to even empty Easter baskets owned by those who have no intention of ever returning, except possibly next year around the same time, with the same empty basket.

I found a Methodist church that's just down the road (I have several Big Churches within a five minute drive) that says it's Saturday Easter activities are open to the community and will feature an egg hunt, crafts, Easter bunny, and so on. Obviously "open to the community" means, "we hope to get you to join our church" but I also hope it means, "but we're cool if you aren't interested" and if so, that's mighty nice of them.

I admit I'm a bit sensitive about these things since I attended a Very Big Baptist Church once during junior high school with a girlfriend I had stayed overnight with and the next week three church representatives showed up at my house to try to convert my Episcopalian family and weren't keen on taking no for an answer. The lesson learned from that was to never, NEVER, under any circumstance, sign your name on the guest list.

Another option, of course, is to locate some sort of secular egg hunt, probably sponsored by local businesses and I'd go to one of those, providing I can locate one, which I have not yet. So technically, it's not really an option until I can actually find one, is it? I'll keep looking.

And I'm actually thinking of having my own egg hunt - inviting a few neighborhood kids to come over and look for eggs. The thing is, my back yard is really dull - mostly grass and not much of a challenge to egg finders, so I'm at a loss as to where to hold it. I suppose I could do it in the front yard....this is going to require some thought....hmm.

I'll report back when I figure it all out. If you are in the area, feel free to send me your egg hunt recommendations.