Holy Smokin' Easter Bunny

It used to be so much fun playing the Easter Bunny after everyone went to bed and the bags of goodies and surprises were brought out from hiding. Before beginning the process of filling the wicker baskets I'd have a plan. Some of the jellybeans and chocolate eggs wouldn't go in the baskets. I'd hide them behind doors-on window sills-beside pillows on the sofa-on top of the tv or wherever I could put them without being too obvious. Jellybeans would also start a trail at the top of the stairway-leading all the way down the stairs and straight to overflowing Easter baskets waiting in the living room. Once the baskets were examined-and then examined some more-the hunt for the hidden candy began. The race was on! Who would find the most?
 It really never mattered because the baskets already had more than enough of the eggs and jellybeans-along with marshmallow chicks, lollipops, candy bars, chocolate bunnies, Cadbury eggs and candy cigarettes. Yes that's right-packs of candy cigarettes that were replicas of the best sellers of the day. The Easter Bunny brought cigarettes! And that's not all-the Bunny brought bubble gum cigars as well!
When I was growing up we always had candy cigarettes in our baskets. It was so much fun pretending to be smoking them. We had our favorite brands. Back then we knew them all because they were advertised on television.
How things have changed. I can't imagine finding candy cigarettes in a basket on Easter morning these days. They probably don't even make them anymore. But quite honestly, those sticks of candy were really just that to us. It was the pretending that was the fun because that is what kids do-they pretend. They use their imaginations. We certainly did. My favorite brand was Winston-as the TV commercial jingle said-'Winstons taste good-like a cigarette should'!
(And when I grew up I never smoked cigarettes-not even a Winston!)

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