My love of personalization is, apparently, legion. Also well-known: my love of whimsy in general. It was because of my love for whimsy that I was tapped to reintroduce the Easter tea to Junior Woman's Club a couple of years ago. And, as a direct outgrowth of my service as Easter tea chair:
1) I first became aware of the importance of securing a "non-scary bunny" costume for one's Easter tea; and
2) After said tea, I remained involved as a JWC "big board" member, which involvement culminated in my service as president, which service entitled me to an honorarium.
Re: 1), when I called the costume company to reserve a bunny, they actually asked if I wanted the "scary" or "non-scary" version.
"Um, I'm not looking for a Halloween costume. This is for a children's event."
"Understood, but we have two variations of Easter bunny. One is sort of evil-looking. The other one is MUCH cuter, but it will cost you $15 extra."
Begging the question - does anyone actually OPT for a sort of evil-looking bunny? Answer: Well, yes, if they are cheapskates. Or secretly hate kids. Or fail to timely reserve the non-scary version.
I never have witnessed the scary rabbit, but in my active imagination he has giant, blood-dripping fangs, a la the Killer Rabbit of Caerbannog, and he may, just possibly, have an axe protruding from his bunny skull . . . or a ski mask . . . or metal talons for claws.
When I turned over my officer notebook at the end of that club year, I concluded my report with the warning, "Make sure that you reserve - and budget for - the NON-SCARY BUNNY."
Re: 2), the honorarium is supposed to be an item that is related to the president's theme and that is of permanent benefit to the club. Hence, the president whose theme was "A Tradition of Southern Grace and Charm" was honored with a bench for the front yard of the club building. In keeping with the theme, "JWC - The Art of Fun and Friendship," my immediate predecessor got to meet with a local artist and select the subject matter of an original painting that now hangs in the club's informal room.
Again, my executive committee knew that I'm all about the whimsy (hence my theme - "JWC - Young at Heart") but am also, somewhat paradoxically, all about the practicality. I was on record that we needed to invest in our own non-scary bunny costume. And so it was that I came to have a giant rabbit endowed in my honor:
You aren't supposed to get your honorarium until the end of the year, but - again, because of my need to be practical - the decision was made to buy a non-scary bunny costume prior to this year's Easter tea and present it to me at our March board of directors meeting. Needless to say, I was taken completely by surprise. Honestly, who expects to learn on the odd Thursday that an oversized, sort-of-rodent has been endowed in their name? And I do mean "in my name," because . . . THEY MONOGRAMMED THE BUNNY FOR ME. To be more precise, they had a label embroidered inside the costume, with my name, the club year and the club's crest:
See? Exactly like one would label the inside of a wedding dress.
The only thing that would have made it more perfect is if they had opted for a large "K" for the bunny's chest - like Laverne's "L" sweater on Laverne & Shirley. It is not outside the realm of possibility that I may one day kidnap the non-scary bunny and take him on a field trip to the monogram shop.
In the meantime, the club has its own proprietary bunny, and it has my name all over it - literally. Mr. Non-Scary Bunny made his debut at this year's Mad Hatter-themed Easter tea. I helped with the decor, but the real credit goes to Ashley and Jennifer, this year's tea co-chairs, who really brought the fun with their whimsical table settings.
A good time was had by all . . . and more than one parent was heard to comment, "Wow, my [son/daughter] REALLY took to that bunny." Of course they did, given that he is the NON-SCARY variant.
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