So I’ve noticed there are two holidays that seem to have obligatory photos for those with kids, Christmas and Easter. Mothers buy their children cute, festive outfits and have them photographed with Santa and the Easter Bunny. So I pose the simple question: Do your kids find these suits cute or creepy?

This month, I’ve had the opportunity to photograph several Easter egg hunts including Hopping into Health at the mall and the Kids of the Community Easter event. At both functions, I loved watching the kids’ reactions, which varied from happy to horrified.

If I’m being honest, I find the yellow Easter Bunny costume pretty creepy, so I empathized with the screaming, red-faced toddlers. Maybe it’s the blank, black eyes? However, if I need a good laugh, I know I can count on social media during this time.

My friends shared outtakes of their children during these holiday portrait sessions with hashtags like “easterfail” and “notafanofthebunny.” Some photos I’ve seen showed sweet little faces with uninterested expressions as if they had better places to be and others captured major meltdowns.

I particularly enjoyed the multiple-sibling shot. The one with the older sisters smiling while the baby brother screamed in the bunny’s arms.  I can’t help but wonder if the bunny phobia could depend on a particular costume or maybe it’s the mannerisms of the person inside the suit that’s offputting.

It’s almost as if the kiddos can sense authenticity as they’re placed onto the bunny’s lap. If the suit passes their test, they smile. If not, they refuse to cooperate while meeting the poor imitation of their beloved Easter Bunny. Since Ross and I don’t have children, we like to discuss whether we’ll even tell our hypothetical kids about Santa or the Easter Bunny.

Our parent friends say “it’s tradition” and “Santa and the Easter Bunny photos help make the holiday magical for them!” Meanwhile, I simply want to see how my future kids react. If they take after me, I will end up with priceless photos capturing their terror that will provide me with laughs for years!

Since I’m on the topic of suits, I’d like to get your feedback on the Mini Standard’s mascot, Bonnie Bear. When I was in elementary school, I adored Bonnie. Grandma still has a newspaper clipping of me and my sister posed happily with her at Magness Library one summer.

I’d get super excited when she’d show up at my school and then run up and give her a high five. Yes, I was that kid. Can you believe that Bonnie Bear is over 25 years old? Since the '90s, Bonnie has been a part of the community. She still shows up at the Christmas parade, in the classrooms, and at numerous events.

Do your children still get excited over Bonnie Bear appearances? Would you like to see more of her? Let us know.

Standard reporter Lacy Garrison can be reached at 473-2191.