Celebrating the Easter Holiday: several decades ago and today

Spectrum
Maturity
Terri Andersen
Senior Moments
Friday, April 2, 2004
Easter in the 1950s and 1960s was probably a department store owner's delight (second only to the boom in business at Christmas time). The big question women asked each other at that time was: “What are you wearing for Easter?” There was even an Easter Parade on Fifth Avenue in New York City in which people could strut their Easter finery. - (Strange, isn't it, that the two most religious holidays of the year became diverted to something other than pure worship?) While people were aware of the 40 days of Lent and Easter services at church, it seems their biggest concern for Easter Sunday was what they would wear. In those days, hats were big (the bigger, the better, and there were actually numerous stores that sold only hats). Finding the perfect hat took much of a woman's shopping time, in addition to shoes and purse that had to match, plus the right outfit (usually a dress or suit with a skirt) and a pair of gloves. I remember searching for just the right shade of gloves to match the blouse I was going to wear. My friends all spent much of their time searching for Easter finery, too. My husband took a home-movie of me and our 2-year old son in the late 1950s, strolling in the park after church.  There I am in red high heels, holding on to my big red straw picture hat so the wind wouldn't blow it off, trying to keep the stroller from rolling away and our 2-year old son from chasing after two cute little dogs who were out for a romp in the park. It didn't help that the straight skirt of my pretty gray suit wasn't exactly made for chasing children or dogs. The skirt had an inset of little pleats at the bottom of the back, supposedly to make leg movement unrestricted, but big strides were definitely out. Today those pleats would be replaced with a slit halfway up the skirt for that purpose — not quite as discreet, I must say. I might mention that our 2-year old son was dressed in a light blue long pants suit, a little white dress shirt and a light blue bow tie. On his feet were white dress shoes. (Sneakers would have been scandalous on Easter Sunday.) As for my husband, he wore what all men wore on Sundays—a standard suit, white shirt and tie. (Men have it so easy.) Today, a few people still "dress up” for Easter. There always seem to be little girls in adorable Easter dresses and Mary Jane shoes, and little boys with their hair combed neatly. But on the whole, its more a"business as usual” 21st century day. While it was nice to see people all dressed up for Easter in the old days, it was a shame to see the hustle and bustle of what to wear take precedence over what the season was all about — namely, to give some thought to the condition of our souls and celebrate the glory of the resurrection.
This year, Mel Gibson's "Passion of the Christ" movie motivated a lot of people to give some thought to what Easter is all about, and I think that's a step in the right direction.
Terri Andersen is a New Milford resident.

Who said retirement means taking it easy?

It's amazing how busy retirement can be. -
Almost every retiree I know is busier now than ever and has to carry a pocket calendar to check if a date is free before making two commitments for the same day. Not too long ago I was with four other “retired” women, trying to agree on a date we could all get together on a regular basis. “How about the first Monday of the month?” someone asked. Immediately out came the little calendars with room for writing in appointments. Retiree 1: “Mondays are not good for me. I work at the Thrift Mart on Mondays. How about a Tuesday?" Retirees 2 and 4 take exercise classes on Tuesdays: “How about a Wednesday then?” Retirees 1 and 3 have singing rehearsals on the first and third Wednesdays and AARP meetings on the second. - “Anyone have Thursdays free?” Exercise classes again were on a few calendars. “How about a Friday?" Retirees 2 and 5 take yoga in the morning and attend "Going Solo” in the afternoons. It then came down to seeing if any mornings as opposed to afternoons were available, and lo and behold a Tuesday afternoon was agreed upon. When I first left the workforce, I had no idea I'd be doing what I am now. My goal at the time was just to be able to get to projects I'd been putting off at home because there didn't seem to be enough time to do them while working all day at an outside job. My first objective was going to be getting all the drawers and closets in ship-shape order, then do a little oil or watercolor painting, write something every day, learn some new songs on the piano, do some gardening, and then just goof off whenever I felt like. Well, the drawers and closets are no more organized than they were Seven years ago, my garden this year consisted of a mail order carpet of seeds that was supposed to produce wonderful flowers without a lot of work (highly over-rated), and the only writing I've done is what goes into these columns and a little publicity or a newsletter. I guess the culprit in getting me off track was wanting to see what was out there for senior citizens these days. I found the New Milford Senior Center had (and still has) so many tempting activities to look into; then a friend wanted to see what the local AARP was all about and asked me to go with her; and another friend suggested volunteering at the Thrift Mart as a worthwhile thing to do. Soon I discovered that joining an organization, doing some volunteer work, and wanting to take advantage of what's going on at the Senior Center can take up a lot of retirement time. In an organization, you volunteer to help out with one thing or another, and the next thing you know they're asking you to run for president or some other important position. (It sounds flattering, but all it means is they're having a hard time getting anyone to do the job.) Let it be known that you like to write, and the next thing you know you're in charge of publicity and anything else that requires “putting a few sentences together.” (I can't say that bothers me, but it does sometimes interfere with goofing off in retirement.) Then there are the lunches or dinners to keep in touch and celebrate birthdays with people one worked with over the years, which also fill up a lot of spaces on the calendar. I have to admit I love what I do (and the bargains I find) at the Thrift Mart and am truly impressed with the mostly senior women who take on so much hard work to keep it in operation. Not only are there loads of bags and boxes to sort through, price and display, but there's the huge responsibility of running a successful business and allocating the monies to the most worthwhile causes. (The many thank you letters they get show all the different ways they've helped the community.) A few years back, everyone was impressed with the Beardstown Ladies (a group who learned how to invest wisely and wrote a book about it), but I'd say the Thrift Mart ladies deserve just as much admiration for being such good businesswomen and such hard workers even without getting a penny for what they do. Every now and then, my husband tells me I’m overextending myself (like when I'm not catering to his every whim), but I figure as long as I leave him a sandwich if I’ll be gone at lunch time, or a microwavable dinner if I'll be gone at supper time, he can't say he's being neglected. (Am I giving away my era? I understand modern wives don't think that way anymore.) At least we're not one of those couples who complain about spending too much time together in retirement. But all he has to do is ask if I’d like to go on a cruise with him, and I’ll definitely find time on my calendar.
Terri Andersen is a resident of New Milford.