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iT'S LACED with frilly clothes, egg hunts and parades, but Easter is a serious religious celebration.
A basket full of candy's just a bonus when you're a kid.
Nearly 90 percent of adults make Easter baskets for their children, according to the National Confectioners Association. Favorites treats include marshmallow Peeps, chocolate bunnies and jellybeans.
Students at Holy Cross Academy in Stafford County and Sonshine Academy in Spotsylvania County opened up about what else they hope the bunny brings this year.
"Three hundred fifty zillion dollars," 10-year-old Clayton Hardy said with a sneaky smile. But some strawberry-flavored Starbursts would do, he said.
Isabel Steven, 8, dreamed of plowing through a pile of plastic grass to uncover a sparkling diamond--not a ring, just a gem.
Meghan Dornan focused on the edible. She hoped one of the 90 million chocolate Easter bunnies produced each year, according to the NCA, would find its way into her basket. But the 8-year-old is choosy about her chocolate.
"I don't like to get dark chocolate Easter bunnies because my family doesn't really like them, and neither do I," she said.
Presleigh Coleman's mouth watered for a richer rabbit. She wished for a chocolate bunny filled with money.
"I would eat his ears first because the ears are more juicier," said Presleigh, 5.
Seventy-six percent of bunny biters agree. Another 5 percent start by gnawing on the feet, and 4 percent begin by chomping on the tail, said NCA spokesperson Susan Fussell.
Five-year-old Kyle Morton hoped for chocolate eggs filled with Jell-O? Could Kyle be referring to those yolky-looking Cadbury Creme eggs?
The company makes so many of the rich confections that, lined end to end, they'd stretch 12,000 miles, according to the National Retail Federation.
Eight-year-old Caty Scarlett Coleman wanted a giant chocolate egg stuffed with caramel.
"I would share it with my friends, my family and everybody," she said.
Now, that's the Easter spirit, Caty Scarlett.
Pastel-colored marshmallow Peeps have been the most popular nonchocolate Easter candy for the past decade, according to Just Born candy company. The Bethlehem, Pa., firm makes more than 700 million of the chick-, bunny- and egg-shaped marshmallow treats each year.
"They're really squishy," said 5-year-old Felipe Gaskin, who likes the blue ones best.
Pink Peeps are 7-year-old Shelby Karr's favorite, though she couldn't explain just why. Five-year-old Noah Kahn shuns the sugar-coated sweets because "I don't like the fur," he said.
OK, Noah, confess. What kind of Peeps have you been eating?
Nine-year-old Mitchel Sawyer jumps for joy over jellybeans.
"I would like lots of jellybeans because they taste good and they have a lot of different flavors," said Mitchel, who's crazy about the coffee-flavored variety.
In fact, Americans consume 16 billion of the brightly colored beans each Easter, according to the NCA's Fussell.
Favorite jellybean flavors include, from most to least: cherry, strawberry, grape, lime and blueberry, according to the info please.com Web site.
Seven-year-old Bruce Garth boasted about throwing back several of the sugary treats at once.
Boys, like Bruce, are more likely than their female counterparts to cram their mouths with beans, says the infoplease site. But the majority--70 percent--of jellybean-loving kids ages 6 to 11 enjoy savoring just one at a time.
Seven-year-old Kelly McNult said she finds jellybeans beneath her bed. Maybe Kelly should ask the bunny for a basket this year.
Brynna Bailey, 7, was holding out for watermelon-flavored lollipops with gum inside. Ben Alling, 8, had a taste for Tootsie Rolls because he likes the way they stick between his cheeks and gums.
Alexis Abell hoped to find a Barbie doll in her basket. The 6-year-old is as apt as anyone to get what she wants because, she said, she bribes the bunny by leaving him carrots and soda.
"I'd like a dog bed for my dog, so he'll stop hogging my bed," 11-year-old Kelsey Emond said about her canine friend, Fluffy.
Seven-year-old Eden Potter pondered the thought of receiving a real rabbit for Easter. But the House Rabbit Society, which gets bombarded with calls from folks who tire of their pet bunnies, warns against it. Raising rabbits, the society says, requires a serious commitment.
Eight-year-old Megan Wyrick was positive she wanted a puppy.
"Unless you're talking about a Three Musketeers [candy bar]," she said. "They're out of this world."
To reach LISA CHINN: 540/374-5424 lchinn@freelancestar.com
