So I just spent the past 48+ hours on a massive hunt for one – just one – original, creme-filled Cadbury egg. Not a mini Cadbury egg, not a caramel Cadbury egg, not a Snickers egg or a Reese’s egg, but a good, old-fashioned (yet smaller than in yester-year), gooey-creme-filled, chocolate delicacy that has represented Easter to me for as long as I can remember.
Growing up, my brothers, sister, and I each got 1 Cadbury egg from the Easter Bunny in our baskets each year. There was never a year without an egg, never a year with more than 1 egg, and never any deviation from the original egg. Now that I’m married, however, I’m not home for Easter each year. Rather, we alternate the holiday between my parents and my in-laws. Two years ago, I had no problem. I went out prior to Easter, bought myself a pack of Cadbury eggs, and all was good.
This year, however, I thought I had gotten smart, and planned to wait until Easter Monday to buy my treat, so I could get it 50% off and enjoy it twice as much. So Monday, my plan was to head to the KMart across the street from my office on my lunch break, and buy myself a pack of the most delicious candy ever created. BUT, as often is the case on Mondays, the day got away from me, and I didn’t get a lunch break. Disappointment #1.
At 6:50 p.m., I managed to make my way out to the parking lot, fall wearily into my car, and begin the drive home, with a deliriously happy image of Publix – and a fabulous aisle full of 50% off candy - in my mind. I stopped at Publix, and spent 10 minutes grabbing items for dinner while scanning my peripherals for the token blue, red, and yellow foil-wrapped delights. I reached the end of my shopping list without seeing anything remotely resembling Cadbury, so took another 10 minutes to do a slower pass through the candy aisle. Still nothing. Disappointment #2. At this point, I had 2 options: 1) give up on my Easter memories, call it a night, and just head home, or 2) make another pass through the store, more slowly, scouring the shelves more intensely. The proof of how addicted I am to this once-a-year candy: I chose option #2.
At 7:25 p.m., I went through the checkout line with no Cadbury eggs. I shuffled sadly out to my car, loaded the groceries, and pulled out of the parking lot dejectedly.
As I rounded the corner out of the parking lot, though, I saw the beautiful flourescent lights of Walgreens beckoning me. Of course! A convenience store would DEFINITELY have Easter candy on sale! So…. I stopped. Leaving my frozen groceries slowly defrosting in my trunk, I ran into the store and saw an aisle full of chocolate bunnies, baskets, easter grass, jelly beans, and above it all, a soaring SALE! sign. I saw mini Cadbury eggs, Caramel Cadbury eggs, Orange Cadbury Creme Eggs….. but no original Cadbury eggs.
 3 strikes. Kmart, Publix, Walgreens…. no eggs. What has the world come to when there are no Cadbury eggs on Easter Monday? It’s bad enough that they made them smaller, and now the chocolate-to-creme ratio is not quite as it used to be. Now there aren’t any to be found!
 The quest continued well into this afternoon, where I spent my lunch break searching for the eggs yet again. After 36 hours of exasperation and desperation, I finally happened across Party City, the only store within the city limits that still has the original Cadbury Creme Egg in stock!!!
So I’m now sitting on my couch, curled up with a satisfied grin and belly full of chocolate, creme, and sugary yolk goodness. Lesson learned: good things do not come to those who wait, but to those who are persistent, dedicated, accept no subsitute, and who buy in mass quantities when they find the object of their desire.
Happy Easter to all!