Alive & Thrivin’, is in the Basket
The Easter Bunny can afford to be pretty picky when it comes to selecting treats to fill an Easter basket. He is, after all, the Santa Claus of spring. Jelly beans, chocolate eggs, and even Peeps are staples for this holiday basket, but what about non-consumable swag? Does the EB include clothes in the basket? What about toys, games, or sports equipment? Does the rabbit leave a couple of gift cards or a little cash tucked under the Cadbury or Sees delicacies? This year, after reading about my appearance at Santa’s book club back in December, the Easter Bunny has selected my new book, Alive & Thrivin’ – The Thrillogy of a Trilogy, to go into every basket throughout the land. I’m truly humbled, honored, and hungry. For candy, not rabbit.
As most people know, Easter is a holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, described in the New Testament as having occurred on the third day after his crucifixion and burial by the Romans at Calvary in 30 AD. Easter is the culmination of the Passion of Jesus, preceded by Lent, a 40-day period of fasting, prayer, and penance.
The Easter Bunny is a folkloric figure and symbol of Easter. Originating among German Lutherans, the “Easter Rabbit” originally played the role of a judge, evaluating whether children were good or disobedient in behavior at the start of the Easter season, aka Ash Wednesday. The Easter Bunny is sometimes depicted wearing clothes, carrying colored eggs, candy, and sometimes toys, in his basket to the homes of children. There are obvious similarities to Santa Claus, as they both work off a naughty or nice list and bring gifts to children on the night before their respective holidays. The Easter basket ritual has its origin in the German folklore of the Easter Hare. Legend has it that a white hare would leave a basket full of goodies and treats on Easter morning to signify new life, rebirth, and renewal in commemoration of the resurrection of Jesus. Coloring eggs and placing them in baskets dated back to 1682. The colorful plastic straw from CVS came later.
The Easter basket tradition dates way back to the 7th Century; however, it is rare for the Easter Bunny to leave a book in the basket. Not just because a book, even paperback, can be heavy and would weigh him down, but it would need to be a magical book sure to be loved by all. Past Easter basket books to be distributed have included The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter, Harry Potter (no relation to Beatrix) and the Philosopher’s Stone by JK Rowling, The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown, and Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. I am certainly in good company, but the Peter Rabbit book is obviously a case of nepotism.
As a child growing up, my sisters and I loved waking up on Easter Sunday morning to see what Mr. Bunny had left for us in our baskets. I’m not a fan of jelly beans, but I love me some pastel-colored M&Ms, Robbin Eggs, and the delectable hollow chocolate bunny. Once I had chomped off his ears, I would consume the rest of the rabbit leaving only a chocolate goatee as evidence on my adolescent face. Occasionally we did receive something other than candy. Over the years, I seem to recall finding a stuffed animal, a 45 or record album, a blacklight poster or packs of baseball cards in or near my Easter basket. Boy that makes me feel old. Wait a second, I am old.
When the Easter Bunny’s people reached out to my editor, Eric Johnson of ALIVE Book Publishing, to inquire about adding my book to their global Easter basket distribution, we were both admittedly very excited. Giddy might be a better term. (Giddy: having a reeling, lightheaded sensation; dizzy). Eric was definitely giddy, given that sales of my first two books never exceeded 25-30 copies each, and that was with me spending a lot of time marketing, promoting and giving roughly half away as gifts, this was a big order to fill. This Easter basket order would get into the hundreds of millions. Not too shabby. I trust that ALIVE can put their other massive print jobs on hold for a few weeks.
Other items to make the Easter Bunny’s Easter 2020 Basket list include: hand sanitizer, disinfectant wipes, bleach, bottled water, pasta, toilet paper, latex gloves, disposable face masks, soap (bars and liquid), all-purpose cleaners, milk, stock tips (some drug company’s going to come up with a cure for COVID-19) and a little cash $ just to get by for the next couple of weeks.
It should go without saying that I am looking forward to hearing from family, friends, acquaintances, and business associates when they wake up Easter morning to find a copy of my latest book in their childrens’ Easter baskets. Since Alive & Thrivin’is part of a trilogy (hence the subtitle, the thrillogy of a trilogy), they may want to purchase my first two books (Alive & Kickin’ and Alive & Chillin’) to complete the set. I would be happy to accommodate them, for a fee. They may want their books signed by the author, which I would be happy to do, for a fee.
Finally, they may ask if I’m available for book signings and public speaking engagements. Also, very amenable to either of those public appearances…. for a fee. I’m a full-service author and man about town.
As the world contends with a global health concern, let’s hope the Easter Bunny washes his paws, carries an ample supply of paw sanitizer with him, and drinks plenty of water before his enormous Easter Eve mission. He may want to consider engaging the services of Amazon or some type of drone distribution service just to be safe.
I am very proud that my new book was selected as an Easter Basket gift item this year and I will do everything in my power with the world wide audience I’m about to inherit to promote safe and healthy living so we can all stay Alive and Thrivin’.
Leave a Reply