Holidays; the perfect time for family bonding, lots of little picture moments, feeling of togetherness and fond memories, right? Sadly, not any more.

Now, I’m not a huge fan of Easter. The bunnies, eggs and candy, are cute, but I the chocolate is waxy, everything is far to pastel for my tastes, and they seem to have a lot more to do with spring, anyway, which I celebrate all season. Also, as for the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, I remember and celebrate that every Sunday, so having a day to remind people seems kinda lame.

All of that aside, I’ve thought of holidays as a time to spend extra time with friends and family, with lots of little picturesque moments. This Easter Sunday, I had a nice time with mine, but had to drive home that evening, since I had class the next day. And, you know what I saw? Where the people at home, getting cozy, or maybe on the road themselves? No. They were all apparently at MACDONALDS and every other fast food joint in Texas. I’m serious; the drive-throughs were PACKED with cars. There were only a few people at the drive-in theater. There were no children playing happily in front yards, throwing newly emptied plastic eggs at each other like I remember doing as a kid. I did not see or smell one single back-yard barbeque, which is something I always thought, was standard when celebrating spring time in my part of the world. But, instead they were busy stuffing the kids full of greasy burgers and mass produced chicken nuggets so they could hurry them off to bed.

I’m only 19, and I’m not trying to get all nostalgic, but that’s NOT the America I remember when I was 8 and 9. We have a national holiday, and we’re too lazy to throw some chicken fritters in the oven at home? Not even a TV dinner and a good family movie? We have to have cold fries and plastic toys in a sterile environment instead?

Sorry, but this really ticks me off. I stopped somewhere for a coke, went inside, and it wasn’t even like, singles, or college kids crowding the place. The place was full of screaming brats and moms who looked like they were wishing they could go back to work and be rid of the monsters. If all the men there were the dads, they sure didn’t want to be associated with the rest of the ciaos. It took me almost half an hour to get a burger, fries, and coke, at MACDONALDS, on a MAJOR HOLIDAY, when the kids should have been AT HOME having a GOOD TIME. Is that messed up or what?

Maybe Easter has changed in the past ten years, or maybe parents have. Kids sure haven’t. But it seems how se perceive and value family time sure has, and that’s just sad.