Easter with the Haleys

With a lack of progress on Ancestry with the Haleys, my video anthology dedicated to the Haley family remained dormant for a few years. I would often entertain the idea of a new video, but was at a loss for content.

In 2014, I set out to locate the missing Easters. Dad was good about labeling home movies, but for some reason, this egg-filled holiday always fell near the end of existing VHS tapes. Sometimes, it was not labeled at all. The video hunt was a bit like Easter itself. However, just in time for that year's Easter Sunday, I found all but one. I have reason to believe 1997 was not filmed. As I was not prepared to enter the director's seat on an Easter with the Haleys, I merely shared the uncut footage with family. I thought the idea made little sense at the time. Choosing the best moments from Christmas, Campland and Disneyland was difficult enough. Easter has always been a tricky occasion to cover. I know, for some, its religious significance is a turn off. Not only that. Who wants to watch three kids look for eggs for twenty minutes?


Easter 1994

In the end, though, I decided to throw caution to the wind. I shared Easter with the Haleys a week before Easter Sunday, 2015. It turned out better than I expected. Emotionally, it was about as moving as any of the other videos I compiled. Truth be told, the egg hunts added a rather nice setup and payoff. Dad frequently pointed the camera at an egg not to be discovered until later.

I would be a nervous wreck throughout the following week. My wisdom teeth were to come out two days after Easter. General anesthesia is a funny thing. One minute, I am sitting in a chair closely monitoring the orthodontist's every move, and the next, I find myself lying in another room with gauze in my mouth. During my recovery period, I shared a few more Easter clips as part of the Mustard Seed Edition. Mustard seeds, as I understand it, are among the smallest seeds on Earth. Ironic, I know.


Easter with the Haleys (Mustard Seed Edition)

From YouTube: Easter, like Christmas, was always an exciting time to be a kid. There would be a basket waiting by the door filled with chocolate, fake grass, and if we were lucky, a special gift! Meanwhile, "the Easter bunny" was busy hiding eggs in the backyard. Most were filled with chocolate, but a rare egg (or three) would be filled with a dollar bill!

Happy Easter to everyone who celebrates it! The black and white filter throughout much of the tribute is an artistic touch, by the way. Dad used to be colorblind.

Music Used
Jerry Goldsmith - Soarin' Over California (Intro)
Bee Gees - Stayin' Alive (Finale)

If you are unfamiliar with but enjoy the Bee Gees track heard here, you may find their full CDs of interest: http://www.amazon.com/Bee-Gees/e/B000AQ075M

Did you find all three eggs in this post? One of them is a source of inspiration.