Mott Ellis has been playing the role of Easter Bunny for more than 20 years, visiting nursing homes, schools, Easter egg hunts and parties. She’s worn out two costumes already and is now on her third.
“I do it just for the joy it brings,” said Ellis, 66. “I have so many stories.”
Once, she said, she was visiting a nursing home. As she was walking down the hallway, a resident stepped out of her room.
“I was in my costume,” Ellis said, “but this lady grabs me by the arm and says, ‘Are you the person who’s supposed to do my hair today?'”
This year, Ellis was determined to reprise her role, even though the COVID-19 virus has greatly altered her plans. There are no visits to schools, which are shuttered. There are no parties or Easter egg hunts, either. Her visits to nursing homes are “window visits” only, with Ellis waving to residents as she clutches a basket of Easter eggs she can’t hand out.
In what will long be remembered as “The COVID-19 Easter,” people have adjusted to sacrificing many Easter traditions in the interest of public safety.
That means no Sunday church services in new Easter outfits. No Easter egg hunts. No large family gatherings.
The big speculation among homes with small children was whether the virus would prevent the annual visit from the real Easter Bunny, something Dr. Stephen Threlkeld, infectious disease specialist for Baptist Medical Group, addressed earlier in the week.
“Bunnies do not get infected with COVID-19, so the travel ban that keeps people from traveling outside of their homes does not apply to the Easter Bunny,” said Threlkeld, noting the Easter Bunny is also considered an essential worker. “Finally, the Easter Bunny has been given special instructions about washing his paws during this time so he can stay in good health, so you should do the same thing with your hands, and we can all have a safer Easter.”
All dressed up with no place to go
Tina Stevenson of Caledonia, with her 5-year-old son R.J. in tow, was wrapping up her Easter shopping Thursday afternoon at Walmart, where she indulged R.J. by allowing him to pick out some pre-Easter candy.
“We’re doing everything we can to make Easter as normal as we can,” she said.
She said she, her husband and R.J., will still get up and put on their new Easter clothes. They’ll be all dressed up with no place to go, though.
“What will be the most different is that we won’t be able to go to church and fellowship with everyone,” she said. “So it will be just the three of us, celebrating at home this year.”
For the Columbus family of Jim and Betsy Hicks; their son, Gipson, 9; and twin daughters, Daisy and Hadley, 7, the changes go beyond Easter Sunday.
“Typically, we spend the whole weekend with family here or go to Philadelphia to be with my siblings,” Betsy said. “It’s a weekend of dyeing Easter eggs, having hunts, making the Easter cupcakes my mother used to make. During the week, there were Easter parties at school, egg hunts at friends’ houses. We were busy all the week.
“We can’t have any of that now. It’s just so sad,” she added.
Edward Kemp, the city of Starkville’s engineer, has been working on a different kind of engineering project this year because of the virus.
For the Kemps — mom, Leah; daughter, Edie, 8; and sons Cline, 9, and Everett, 2 — a big part of Easter was a large family gathering at Edward’s parents’ home.
“We all get together: siblings, parents, grandparents, probably 30 to 35 of us,” Edward said. “It’s kind of like a field day. We have egg tosses, tug of war, a game of kickball or whiffle ball, egg hunts for the little ones.”
This year, that gathering is canceled, but Kemp is working on a way to keep his large family connected nevertheless.
“We’re still talking about what we’ll do,” he said Thursday. “We’re going to gather as many as we can virtually and have a good group family conversation. I’m still trying to brainstorm a way to play some games or something, just to kind of keep that tradition going. I’m not sure what that will look like yet, but I’m working on it.”
Truncated celebrations
For all of the families, the biggest adjustment has been the inability to attend Easter church services.
The Hicks attend First United Methodist Church in Columbus. For once, Betsy said, she was prepared.
“I was ahead of schedule. I had already bought new dresses for the girls and a shirt and pants for Gipson,” she said. “I just love that part of it, going to church and seeing what everybody has on, the new dresses and bright colors. Some of the ladies still buy new hats. I just love all that stuff.”
The Kemps attend First Presbyterian Church in Starkville, which had to cancel a full slate of Holy Week events.
“There was something church-related just about every day of the week,” Edward said. “So for us, it’s not just about Easter Sunday and having our family photo out in front of the church that morning. It’s the whole week. We miss all of it.”
Some traditions will live on, though, albeit in truncated form.
“We’re still dyeing eggs and the kids are hiding them around the garage and yard,” Betsy Hicks said.
Same goes for the Stevensons.
“We’ll have our own little Easter egg hunt,” Tina said, putting the best face on the situation as she turned to her son. “Just think, R.J., you will find all the eggs this year!”
The little boy grinned at the thought of that.
Making good memories amid fear
The parents are trying to make Easter as familiar and festive as possible, but the strain of COVID-19 has affected everyone, they admit, even the kids.
“My son asked me one day, ‘Mom, are we going to die?'” Betty Hicks said. “So we had a talk about that and he felt better. But that kind of showed me that kids are worried, too.
“It’s been hard, but I had a friend who sent me something that really helped,” she added. “It talked about how we are all scared right now and don’t know what the future holds. Well, it was like that the first Easter, too. The disciples were afraid. They didn’t know what was going to happen. That made me feel better.”
Ellis, whose Easter Bunny enthusiasm hasn’t been diminished to the slightest degree, said this Easter will create unique memories for families.
It will also teach a valuable lesson, she said.
“What this says is that we can still bring joy and happiness to people if we just think outside the box,” she said. “You have to make the best of whatever situation you find yourself in. Nobody’s comfortable, but we make memories of this, good memories.”
Slim Smith is a columnist and feature writer for The Dispatch. His email address is [email protected].
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