Dundee should try to make next Easter an eggstra-special day

THERE are two occasions in the year when it’s acceptable to eat chocolate for breakfast — Christmas (or rather, the whole of December on account of advent calendars) and Easter.

Ah, Easter — a time to reflect and eat eggs, to make plans with people you love, and appreciate what you have.

Except if you live in Dundee that is, where business continued as normal on Easter Monday.

When a pal from Glasgow, who now lives near London with her family, asked if they could stay on Monday and Tuesday, I was delighted.

It forced us to stop our normal routine — the work, nursery drop-offs and incessant checking of emails and texts.

But I was astonished at how many people were back to work as normal.

Many of you will have gone to church on Easter Sunday — perhaps one of the few times you make an appearance, or maybe it’s a weekly occurrence.

But how many more would there be in our churches if Easter Monday were a proper Dundee holiday?

A long weekend would encourage people to do something special — as a child mum would take me to Camperdown Park for Easter, and I see that’s still a big occasion. Kids would love to have their parents or family around for a long weekend.

Too often as a nation we complain that for a country that counts Christianity as its main religion (59.3% of the population, according to the 2011 census), we have allowed our customs to be eroded.

The power to take control is in our hands. Bosses of large and small companies in Dundee could declare Good Friday and Monday as holidays.

While Monday was Bank Holiday, it seems far more rigorously observed down south and even in other cities in Scotland.

Even if Easter has nothing to do with religion for some people, it’s a welcome break and encourages communities to come together. Take Christmas, for example. We enter the holiday spirit because it is an occasion we all acknowledge. People say “Hello” to you on the street, even though, come the second week of January, they may not make eye contact.

Christmas is a Christian holiday and yet no matter our beliefs, we know it’s a time for celebration — and sometimes melancholy thoughts for those we love who are no longer here.

What chance have we of instilling a togetherness of community for Easter if people are clocking on, putting on shirts and ties, or counting the hours at a desk?

Come on, Dundee. Let’s put Easter in pen on the calendar next year.

Let’s roll: Scott, Connor and Layla Ferrier with Dee Chard at Camperdown Park.