Easter is dawning upon us. No matter if you’re Christian, Muslim, Sikh, Hindu… you’ll know. Not via word of mouth, or celebratory signage - but by the mounds of Easter eggs you’re greeted with at the start-line of your weekly shop. Gone are the days of religious focus: Easter is now a chocolate-dominated gift-giving party. Not to get in the way of such a Wonka-inspired fantasy, but I have to wonder -has Easter veered too far into commercialisation?
The 2021 UK Census reported that 46% of the population identified as Christian, and 37% stated they had no religion. Christianity is on a decline, yet Easter seems to become a larger and larger confetti let-off in the face of every Tesco Extra customer this week. Cadbury? Reese’s? Lindt? Randoms? It seems every brand, chocolate or not, jumps on the Easter train and launches a visual attack on every shopper. Even Crayola has released an Easter egg this year. The population becomes less and less Christian, yet spends more and more on a Christian holiday.
Bizarre.
There’s no meaning behind this, no reference to any religious origin - just piles of stacked chocolate boxes: most of which act as an over-sized nest for a small egg. I appreciate the need to represent the brand logo and exaggerate the excitement of the egg. I don’t appreciate, though, such wasteful use of cardboard. Of course, it can be recycled: it isn’t world-ending. However, it’s a well-known fact that some people will not make any effort to recycle these boxes. Business Waste states that Easter egg packaging generates 8,000 tonnes of waste every year - and that number is only going to increase. The presentation of these eggs is not only an eyesore to shoppers but wasteful. In a supposedly climate-conscious world, I hoped for better.
The impact of Easter on families is mind-numbing. I’m not convinced I’ve finished last year’s haul of overpriced cocoa. Grandma gets an egg, cousin gets an egg, aunty gets an egg, and in-laws get an egg. Many pet shops stock Easter eggs for dogs. Where does it end? In this economy, at a solid £5-10 for an egg deemed ‘respectable’ enough to give to your loved ones, why am I spending a healthy £35 for a family of atheists? I’m not sure half of my relatives could tell you the story behind Easter, and I’m sure many of yours are the same. Easter has become simply a second Christmas. Gift exchange is the priority. Fun, for children, absolutely. A £1.50 chocolate egg as a child is delightful. Minimal waste, affordable and exciting. The growing trend of adults exchanging overpriced ‘luxury’ or ‘novelty’ Easter eggs, though, is a waste of money and a waste of resources.
Nonetheless, the annual swap goes ahead, and we all end up with a months’ supply of sugar. If you haven’t already, forget Palm Sunday; a week later our streets are instead lined with half-flattened cardboard boxes. See you there.
Image - Refinery 29
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