Egg Hunt?

Oh, boy, old habits die hard.  It is Easter time and as I prepare for our family gathering, I can not help but revert back to the days when I would hold an annual Easter egg hunt for my children, their friends and the neighborhood kids.  Each year it grew to be more and more elaborate. From the initial invitation, to the preparation, I was a victim of perfectionism.  I always had to have a unique and personal invitation, something no one else had seen before.  (One year, my daughter Kerrin hand drew each invite.)  This was my "thing".  I loved the idea of having a massive egg hunt, entirely organized the way I envisioned, from start to finish.  My vision, to make everyone invited feel as though they wouldn't want to miss it.  I would ask others to bring some type of food for the event but I was in charge of all the eggs, prizes and the stuffing and hiding.  The idea developed after my children were left out of a neighborhood hunt in my old neighborhood.  As I kept them hidden in the house while the other kids hunted, I thought, the only way to  change this scenario is to do something myself. The following year I found myself in a new neighborhood and I decided my children were not going to miss the party because I was going to have it and thus an annual tradition ensued.  What started out with 300 hundred eggs and 20 participants, soon grew to 1500 eggs and 60 hunters.  It was a huge undertaking that I thoroughly enjoyed.  I would spend hours finding unique toys and candy to stuff the eggs with.  I would also have prize eggs that rendered the finder a special something they could select from the prize closet. I had different sections of the yard and woods for hunting, divided into various age categories. I would spend hours being sure that each age category had the same number of eggs and that there were equal "special " eggs for all ages.  When I tell you this was an undertaking, it was an event I would spend months planning and coordinating. All year long, the egg hunt was a thought that lingered in my mind.  Whenever I was out shopping, small toys would catch my eye and I would be thinking, "that could fit in a plastic egg, better buy a dozen".  Fun for all was my priority. I had an over abundance of prizes because of the wide range of ages that would attend and their differing interests.  In addition to the hunt for the children was a party for the parents. It was always delightful chaos and I loved being able to catch up and party with my friends and neighbors.
I now have an attic filled with the empty egg shells, and some left over prizes that I have yet to donate.  All of this makes me both happy and sad.  The memories are fantastic and I hope I created some great memories for others as well, yet I was sad to see it all come to end, but when my children got too old for egg hunts, I could no longer justify the time and money I spent on this event.  
As I prepare for an egg hunt for five children, my old inclinations resurface.  I am out searching for cute little toys to put in the eggs as well as a variety of candy.  I also have my prize closet fully stocked with more prizes than children, just in case..., what I don't know, but better to have more than less.  I focus on my menu as well as the toys, but deep down, I long for the days when my lawn was covered with plastic eggs and the street was loaded with anxious hunters!  As life moves on, I am now seeking the "prize egg", that will bring me back to the days when I was able to bring joy to my children and their friends, with something as simple as some plastic eggs filled with candy, strewn about on the lawn.  The hunt is on!!!