Fallen from Grace

Never let it be said that we at PTA are afraid of a bit of controversy. Yesterday, Chris stirred up a tracker jacker nest by not only declaring that he didn't like the Hunger Games movie, but also proudly proclaiming that he snuck into said movie AND that he is annoyed by tween girls sobbing. (OK, that last one isn't that controversial. We all agree on that, right?) Ken proudly proclaimed his disdain for vinyl wall "art." (Amy and I just put up "Return with Tacos" above our front door.) And let us never forget the anger and vitriol that rocked the blogosphere (any my book club that week) when Patrick declared his preference for short hair.

And because we have created a space where controversy and varying opinions are welcome I now proudly declare that Easter is the holiday with the best candy. Valentines day is too heavy on chocolate, which in and of itself doesn't do much for me. (Though I do like candy hearts.) Christmas is more of a baked good holiday. And Halloween is basically just regular candy packaged in Halloween wrappers. What's the fun in that?

Easter, however, is full of delicious treats that you can ONLY buy at Easter. And have you realized that Easter is only about a week away? And that many of these candies will be gone soon? Have you stocked up? Are you getting your fix? To help you in your shopping needs, I present the list of the greatest Easter candies:

1. Peeps

I know peeps are a love 'em or hate 'em kind of thing. But I LOVE them. And they are the definitive Easter candy. I distinctly remember being a small child and eating peeps (with little bits of that green plastic grass stuck to the raw-marshmallow side) from my Easter basket. I know that now they have St. Patrick's day peeps and Arbor Day peeps and chocolate covered peeps and wasabi dipped peeps. And while I would certainly eat any of those, the original peeps and bunnies that come in the bright spring colors are where its at.

2. Reese's Peanut Butter Egg

mmm...36 pack

I love a peanut butter cup as much as anyone. But there is something about the Egg that is better. Maybe it is the lack of that annoying oily paper. Maybe it is because the ratio of salty peanut butter to waxy chocolate seems higher. Maybe it is because they are available for a limited time and I'm a sucker for that. But whatever it is, yummy.

3. Cadbury Mini Eggs

mmmm...Big Bag....3 pack

Every year when I buy these, I think that I have elevated them in my mind and that they won't live up. They can't possibly be as good as I remember them. And guess what? They are BETTER. I think it is because I am an anglophile and Cadbury is the queen's chocolate so surely it is better than something from Pennsylvania, right?

There are many other delights, but these are by far the top three and the three I want to eat morning and night for the months of March and April. But there is one Easter candy that I really want to like. One that used to hold a place of high esteem in my heart and has now fallen from grace.

The Cadbury Creme Egg

48 pack. Mmm. No thanks.

Remember when you were a kid and getting a whole creme egg to yourself was like the greatest thing ever?? And am I the only one that remembers that back then the creme filling was runny, like a real egg? And now it is sort of a thick white paste? Did I make that up? I imagine that they changed it because as a parent I can't think of anything worse than giving my children a candy full of 1/4 cup of runny, sticky filling. But it was sweet and unctuous and gooey and delicious. And now it is like eating Chocolate filled with Spongebob Squarepants Toothpaste. Oh, creme egg. We thought we knew thee.

So weigh in. What are your favorite Easter candies? Did I get it right? Tell us in the comments.You know how we like to stir up controversy.