true meaning of easter ?

[Boris Bear]

I agree we don't HAVE to conform but are we not considered 'stingey' if we don't?

They (retailers) try to make us feel it's the norm to spend lots on these gifts so we feel the odd one out and tight if we don't comform. Of course it's our choice but they know all the tricks to put pressure on us.

 

[petpixie]

They (retailers) try to make us feel it's the norm to spend lots on these gifts so we feel the odd one out and tight if we don't comform. Of course it's our choice but they know all the tricks to put pressure on us.

I always gave my kids chocolate eggs ~ and still do for my youngest and my grandchildren ~ but I've never given or received an Easter present or Easter card and I feel no pressure whatsoever to start!
I'm not religious and see the Easter celebration as a springtime renewing event celebrating bunnies so I suppose I'm a bit of a pagan.

 

[silversequin]

I have this theory that there is something to be hyped and turned into a "gifting" occasion every month of the year and it goes like this:

January New Year
February Valentine's Day
March Mother's Day
March\April Easter
May Two Bank Holidays (no gifting but lots of hype re DIY and gardening)
June Father's Day
July - August Teachers' gifts, exam success and of course loads of hype re summer hols
September Back to School tho this actually starts the day the kids break up for Summer
October Hallow'een
November Bonfire night
December, welll this one will have been simmering away since July on QVC and September eleswhere and we all know its name!!

 

[AmethystRox]

A friend was reading me bits of an article about telly selling and how the approach has been changed over time to increase sales. The one that stuck with me was that the presenters changed from saying "The operators are waiting to take your call" to "The phone lines are busy". (and this is not exclusive to QVC). The former gives the impression that customer service is just sitting there with nothing to do and can wait, however long, until you make that call and purchase that item. Gives the idea that there's loads of time whereas the second phrase makes the viewer feel that it's urgent and now is the time to call.

The "limited stock" puts added pressure to buy now or miss out and no one wants to miss out. That's been discussed on the forum before. It's probable that stock is indeed limited and you might miss out. But in today's world there will most certainly be another version down the road. Just give it a few weeks or a couple of months and something similar or even better will be on offer.

Now there's the tactic that you should give gifts on holidays where once if anything was given it was probably something simple like flowers, a card or a chocolate and would have been just fine ... a simple inexpensive gift as a sincere token of thought. Now according to them it would be better to give something upwards of £40.

 

[Gizzy]

I suppose the "true meaning" of Easter depends on who you ask. Personally I see it as a celebration of Spring and the new life it brings. Even though I'm not into the supernatural and I don't believe in deities of any sort, I still feel a sense of wonder and awe at the natural world. Maybe I'm an atheistic pagan (if that's even possible) or something? I dunno. I tend to see other holidays such as Christmas and Halloween in the same way too.

As for the whole Easter gifts thing, I did get a gift for my sister for Easter once (a game for her Wii), but I don't think I'll ever do it again. She very rarely uses it anymore, so it was a bit pointless. When my sister and I were little, our mother would give us an easter egg and a stuffed toy (a rabbit, chick or a lamb). I guess we were kinda spoilt (but recently we've been spoiling her back)!:mysmilie_50:

This year I'm sticking to eggs and maybe a bunch of daffodils for Mam. At least those have something to do with Easter. Besides, she loves 'em. I'd be perfectly happy with chocolate eggs myself. Yum! :tongue:

Have a happy Easter, whichever you celebrate it! :flower:

 

[fwend]

Hello mr Brightside xxxxxx

 

[Pinkpussycat]

Easter means different things to different folks so let's invoke a sense of unity here and.........................



























































































































all get the biggest feckin egg we can find and stuff ourselves sick with it!! :devil:

 

[Frazzled]

Good idea - I'm off to find the biggest feckin rabbit I can

:mysmilie_520:

 

[yazrose]

hi all, be nice cos im new to this !

now i know this may sound old fashioned ! but am i the only person who finds the idea of easter gifts instead of EASTER EGGS slightly offensive ??

The giving of EGGS is to celebrate the (yes i know its a tenuous link , rolling stone from tomb / rolling hard boiled painted eggs/ chocolate egg) Christian meaning of Easter - and not the commercial any excuse to sell us yet more tat "holiday " .

i think qvc would not be so quick to cheapen or insult another religion ? i think selling coat hangers as a easter gift is outrageous .

(christmas is too far gone to compare with this)

getting off soapbox now........:wink:

I agree, when did we go from chocolate eggs at Easter to being told/asked to give proper presents?

With being told that a Northern Nights duvet set would make a lovely present for the teacher at christmas, and that £30 Yankee Candle set would make a lovely Valentines present ablah blah blah, it is annoying that come every Holiday we are being told/asked to buy this as a lovely present for someone.

 

[lipglossaddict]

Good idea - I'm off to find the biggest feckin rabbit I can

:mysmilie_520:

better head to Ann Summers then :blush: :blush: :blush:

 

[maggiemay]

Sadly most kids don't know the true meaning of Easter either because schools are severely restricted in teaching the Christian faith for fear of upsetting other religions in our multi cultural society. It's also disgusting the way people are castigated in the workplace for the same reason when wearing the cross as a symbol of their faith. I am appalled at what is happening to this country and it will only get worse.

P.S. If my partner gave me a set of coat hangers for any kind of present I'd tell him where to shove them.

So would I - sideways.:devil:

 

[allivee]

her royal highness JR has just suggested the new epiphany clad TSV would be a great "BEST FRIEND" easter present thats two made up gift giving occasions for the price of one
I agree with everyone else re commercialisation of easter my kids have started coming home with stories of how friends get eggs and easter money from relatives and they have also started making easter lists of what they want where do these people get all this money from have they not heard of the credit crunch xx

 

[mimi]

QVC attacking Christianity in a way it would not attack other religions? Thankfully Christianity is on the decline, it's held sway for far too long in one form or another, its true message being outweighed by the misery it imposes. Let's not get precious over something that imposed itself on popular Pagan festivals in an effort to take hold.

This forum gets more Daily Mail every day.

 

[Pinkpussycat]

Don't read it then.

 

[delh]

QVC attacking Christianity in a way it would not attack other religions? Thankfully Christianity is on the decline, it's held sway for far too long in one form or another, its true message being outweighed by the misery it imposes. Let's not get precious over something that imposed itself on popular Pagan festivals in an effort to take hold.

This forum gets more Daily Mail every day.

In your view, Christianity is an important part of some people's life's (not mine) and the constant picking away at it's traditions and principles is the way to fundamentalism something I wouldnt want to see in this country. The problem is that this country has become so obsessed with not offending some religions that Christians who see their holidays and traditions being slowly whittled away will eventually start fighting back just as the other religions that were in years gone by subjugated by christianity have and there lies the road to a right mess.
As for gifts for Easter, not from me I am afraid not even a card I'm a meanie gifts are for birthdays and christmas and the occasional wedding and no other time
Anyway QVC will have the monopoly on Easter Sunday as all the shops apart from them are closed!

 

[Bensmum]

her royal highness JR has just suggested the new epiphany clad TSV would be a great "BEST FRIEND" easter present

Best friend?? So it's not even just family now is it not? Next thing will be named cards for everybody - Easter Greetings to my Dearest Paperboy etc etc.

I'll say again, the world has gone completely bonkers.

 

[Springflower]

H.i all, I'm bus pass plus three! and I have very clear memories of the Easters of my childhood, one of the most powerful ones being the silence of Good Friday morning. There was no traffic on the main road outside the house. The baker arrived very early to deliver the pre-ordered hotcross buns but there was no delivery of milk, papers or post. The only shops open were fish and chip shops which only opened at midday to serve pre-ordered meals. There were no buses on GF but as we had a car we could go to relatives after lunch for the traditional family walk after which there was a slapup tea. Life-and its' inherent sounds-didn't return to normal until Saturday. I was allowed to have Easter eggs that day, they were lined up on the sideboard, but I couldn't break into them until after church on Easter Sunday. We visited an elderly great aunt ES afternoon and I was permitted to chomp my way through the smallest one to keep me quiet!! I imagine Easters followed the same lines for everybody back then because England in those days kept to very strict traditions.
Whatever your beliefs, I hope Easter will be a happy time for all of you.
Best wishes from Springflower.

 

[Frazzled]

H.i all, I'm bus pass plus three! and I have very clear memories of the Easters of my childhood, one of the most powerful ones being the silence of Good Friday morning. There was no traffic on the main road outside the house. The baker arrived very early to deliver the pre-ordered hotcross buns but there was no delivery of milk, papers or post. The only shops open were fish and chip shops which only opened at midday to serve pre-ordered meals. There were no buses on GF but as we had a car we could go to relatives after lunch for the traditional family walk after which there was a slapup tea. Life-and its' inherent sounds-didn't return to normal until Saturday. I was allowed to have Easter eggs that day, they were lined up on the sideboard, but I couldn't break into them until after church on Easter Sunday. We visited an elderly great aunt ES afternoon and I was permitted to chomp my way through the smallest one to keep me quiet!! I imagine Easters followed the same lines for everybody back then because England in those days kept to very strict traditions.
Whatever your beliefs, I hope Easter will be a happy time for all of you.
Best wishes from Springflower.

I remember those days, I remember being given a beautiful cardboard egg that was full of chicks and bunnies made from wool. I kept it for years. :sun:

 

[Rozzy]

Hi, Christian here but def. not a stuffy or Bible bashing one, certainly VERY far from perfect too. I was brought up in a family who've been Methodists for generations. Not happy clappy or in yer face, just a quiet, simple faith that I'm so glad that I have and is such a comfort.
I hope you all have a lovely Easter, whatever your beliefs xxxxx





PS I remember the cardboard eggs too:heart:

 

[LorraineJ]

When I was a child my Mum would hid our Easter Eggs in the garden for us to find. Its something I used to do with my own daughter when she was little.

As for giving presents at Easter, surely its up to the people concerned? I don't send out Easter cards, apart from the Crafttelly swap. I've bought a Thorntons named Easter Egg for DD which I hope she will enjoy, but have never gone along with wall to wall Easter Eggs. One year, friends wanted to buy DD an Easter Egg and instead bought an Easter Basket and another friend a bonnet instead, as I thought family eggs made enough and it seemed mean to say thank you but no thank you when they wanted to buy DD a gift. Incidently DD is still very slim, so what chocolate she has had hasn't finished up on her hips.

However people want to celebrate Easter, they should be allowed to but should not inflict their views on others.