By Lucy Smillie - Sticky fingers, gooey chocolate smears and a face full of chocolate. That’s what a typical Easter looked like in the Smillie household throughout my childhood.
It’s fair to say that chocolate eating festivities were the main event of Easter in our family, and whether we were eating it ourselves or gifting it to family members, it would always make an appearance.
That’s not to say it's not still around now. Chocolate continues to stick around in our family every Easter and quite frankly, I’ve never really seen a reason to remove it.
But in my first few weeks of interning at The Good Registry, I’ve learnt so much about the importance of giving simply and sustainably. I have started reflecting on my own gifting choices and considering ways I could give more simply, while encouraging others to do so too.
So, with Easter just around the corner I’ve been thinking about what the occasion actually means to me, without the chocolate involved.
For me, Easter is more about spending quality time with friends and family. Especially since leaving home and moving to Wellington, I value any opportunity I get to fly home and visit family, and over the last couple of years, the Easter break has given me that opportunity.
Easter is also a time to show my appreciation to loved ones. In the past I would often show my appreciation by giving chocolate eggs or bunnies to friends and family. But since learning about the importance of giving simply and sustainably, I’ve had to ask myself, are chocolate Easter treats really that important at Easter?
There are so many other ways to show appreciation at Easter instead of gifting chocolate eggs which, let's be honest, are devoured within a matter of minutes. Some ideas I thought of were, baking hot cross buns, making homemade Easter eggs with friends, going for a walk and watching a movie with family, or making positive impacts by gifting a Good Gift Card from The Good Registry!
This Easter, I’m challenging myself to give up chocolate gifting traditions by showing my appreciation in ways that are more sustainable and meaningful. In other words, I’m embracing my family name and making this Easter a ‘Smillie’ one, by swapping the chocolate for a more meaningful holiday and I urge you to do the same!
If spreading kindness sounds like a great chocolate substitute for you this Easter, you can give friends and family a Good Gift Card which they can use to donate to some of the 65 different charity partners here at The Good Registry.
* Photo shows Lucy (on the right) in 2017 enjoying Easter with her family
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