April 19, 2019 – Remember those? Easter baskets? The Easter Bunny used to bring me the most beautiful Easter baskets. Perhaps not when I was a little kid, but later, when “the Easter Bunny’s” favorite store was Neiman Marcus. Forgive me for this, because I know it’s obnoxious, but Neiman Marcus had the best kid’s toy department. They sold only beautiful toys. I’m not sure how expensive they were because by the days of my family’s patronage of Neiman Marcus, I had outgrown toys, but, still, I got an Easter basket until I was about … 18. I think. And they were from Neiman Marcus. Just to give you an example, I remember one that was a foot-tall metal bird with things inside, that plastic grass, candies — nice candies. Beautiful. After the candy was gone, I kept that metal bird as a decoration in the bathroom forever.

The Easter bunny would usually bring a small present too, a necklace, make-up, perfume, a curling iron, something girlie, always. That girlie present would be placed next to the basket.

It was my holiday … because my brother saw the Easter bunny when he was about three, two perhaps, and that sighting ruined it for him, forever. He never cared about the basket. He never cared about the present. And no matter how much protesting he would do to convince me it was a sham, I loved a holiday with a bunny. I still do. And those little baby chicks too! Remember those? When I was a girl, they would have chicks in dyed colors in a pen at the mall. I loved those. I haven’t seen them in years, although if they still had them, I’d get one of those baby chicks, and yes, I know the dyed-blue chick would shed its feathers and turn into a chicken. But I digress.

My point is, my brother’s protesting of Easter made it my morning. I would be all happy about what the Easter bunny brought. It was always a surprise too because I didn’t make a list like I did for Christmas. For Easter I got a true present – meaning something someone picks out for you based on what they think you will like not what you ask for.

Now, based on my brother’s investigation at the age of three (or two), and his yearly retelling to me that the Easter Bunny isn’t real, I knew the Easter bunny was really my mom, and my mom is no longer with me, so there’s zero chance of getting one of those beautiful Neiman Marcus Easter baskets and a surprise present this year. Heck, Neiman Marcus doesn’t even have that toy department any more, or at least it didn’t the last time I was in Neiman Marcus, which was with my mom, so that tells you how long ago that was.

But…

If there was still an Easter bunny, and Neiman Marcus still sold those beautiful Easter baskets, I would want my surprise girlie present to be this – a Neiman Marcus Easter basket, of course. And as it turns out, I found one – an Easter basket from Neiman Marus, the cover picture, retail price $100 (not that bad). And my surprise present — a Game of Thrones-inspired guitar, retail price of some crazy thing like $25,000. Heck, bring Nuno Bettencourt to play that thing too like Fender did to promo it. How’s that for a fantasy? Good right?

You know the best part of this little Easter fantasy indulgence of mine? It’s not the pretty basket. It’s not Neiman Marcus. It’s not some crazy guitar I will never even see. It’s not even Nuno Bettencourt playing the guitar for me, and that’s good, really good. No, it’s the fact that the Easter bunny was my mom, and for the Easter bunny to come… that would mean I would have my mom, even for one morning. But that’s possible only if you’re Jesus. Apparently. This day in his celebration. Hey, check out that religious tie-in. You’re not likely to see that again here.

So Happy Easter, y’all. May it be every bit as good as my rocker girlie’s Easter fantasy. Oh and really, check out those guitars and Nuno and company playing the Game of Thrones theme. The guitars are works of art.