Easter and Complicated Emotions

Two completely separate points to make about Easter this year.

1. Did you see that Party City TV commercial... where they took "Mambo Number 5" and rewrote the lyrics to say something a like "A little bit of Easter in my life..." Second question, did that ad bother you? The entire ad was this lavish Easter party, with a crap ton of decorations, an Easter bunny, kids running around having a blast, and a crap ton of candy. I could never quite put my finger on it, but that ad bothered me. Something about putting the entire holiday of Easter to a weird pop song did not sit well with me. I think the fact that Easter has completely been overtaken as just another holiday to capitalize on, with absolutely no mention of the actual reason we have Easter, is mostly to blame. This commercial just completely furthered that objective.

2. Easter and Christmas mass are two of the most beautiful masses in the whole year. But it is almost always ruined for me, even if just for a little bit, by the Chreasters around me. (I call the people who only attend on Christmas and Easter, Chreasters.)

I very vividly remember being so ticked off one Christmas mass because of the three kids (I say kids, but really they were 2 teens and a ~10-year-old) behind me who were laughing and talking the entire time. Sunday wasn't much better, except this time it was an adult! Wow, didn't expect that one. This lady behind me had been jibber-jabbering away in spurts throughout mass. We were in the middle of the Eucharistic prayer, the priest is consecrating the host, and she starts talking softly again to the lady next to her. It was inappropriate and I really was surprised at the terrible example she was setting for her kids.

This all is just so frustrating to me. I almost dread the crowd on Easter and Christmas because of the numerous experiences like this that I have had over the years. But then I feel bad about it because, well, I'm in church, and shouldn't I be welcoming these people instead of being so judgmental? Jesus is probably glad they are here, right? But it is just so hard not to get upset about it.