Spring Break as we know it today is a much different vacation than in the 1970s. Our schools called it Easter Break and we got the biggest thrill from simply not being there for a week. The highlight was hanging out with neighborhood friends, playing with a Chinese jump rope, or attaching new streamers on our bikes that the Easter Bunny left in our basket.

Today on Spring Break, families are packing up and heading for the beach, Disney, or some other exotic destination. It was very rare that any of our friends actually traveled somewhere when we had time off school. It was truly a big deal when our family packed the green station wagon and headed to Michigan to visit my grandparents. Sometimes we would visit for the whole week including Easter Sunday.

I distinctly remember Mom letting me pick out an Easter basket from the bin in our attic to bring on the road trip. The Easter Bunny will surely visit us in Michigan! The bunny would know just what to do. He’d hide my favorite pink plastic woven basket in Grandma and Grandpa’s house just like at home.

They lived in a tiny ranch house with a manicured lawn and a fenced-in backyard. Sometimes there were 5 of us staying with them. It was probably 1,000 square feet with only 2 extra bedrooms and 1 full bathroom. It was nice and cozy.

During Easter Break I ate Robin Egg malted milk balls and chewed Dubble-Bubble egg-shaped gum anytime I wanted! I played with my cousin, Mike, and my grandparent’s schnauzer. We tried to stay up late to watch tv and the next morning we ate cereal out of those cool mini boxes.

For many years Easter Break didn’t include those fancy vacations playing in the sand or doing cannonballs in a pool. It didn’t matter. I wouldn’t have traded those spring road trips for anything. It was a glorious week! Who needed the bright sun on the beach? We had plenty of sunshine in our hearts, spending time and making memories with our family. I certainly hope the Easter Bunny leaves you sweet thoughts of past Easter celebrations in your basket this year!

That’s me with the groovy shag haircut and the scary Easter Bunny around 1974.