Looking back on what Easter Sunday was like for a child in the ’60s

Easter is one of the best times of the year for a child. Nowadays we can fondly look back on the memories of waking up to endless piles of chocolate, running around the yard on a sugar high with all of our siblings and cousins and sitting down for a big family lunch that would leave you so full you thought you were going to explode.

Today, supermarkets are always jumping the gun, rolling out Easter eggs too far in advance, but there was something special about the days when hot cross buns were only enjoyed the week before Easter and chocolate eggs were a once-a-year treat.

Kids would spend hours in the weeks leading up to Easter Sunday on messy arts and crafts activities that would usually adorn the house on the day. Dyeing eggs in different colours and making your very own Easter basket to carry them all around were some of the best ways to spend your time before the weekend.

The best fun you could have before Easter though was usually the contribution to the school’s Easter bonnet parade. Creating a perfectly elaborate hat seemed like the most important thing in the world for young kids who would glue everything from cotton wool to straw onto their pieces of coloured paper in an attempt to be crowned the best.

A little Easter egg hunt in the backyard was usually the highlight of the day as everyone rushed around in a hurry trying to snatch up every last egg from the bushes – all the while taking care not to get any dirt on your Sunday best or mum wouldn’t be happy!

Once your sugar high started to crash, there was nothing better than digging into a big plate of food prepared by your mum who was most likely busy in the kitchen cooking up a feast for the entire day.

One thing that has definitely improved since the days of the ’60s are the faces plastered over the bunnies. It’d be safe to say almost everyone from this decade has some kind of photo taken alongside a creepy-faced bunny!

There’s nothing better than getting the family together to revive some old traditions from your childhood. This Easter, why not buy some coloured paper, sit down with the grandkids and make your very own, updated Easter bonnets!