Gone are the days of dying eggs, filling Easter baskets full of goodies and pulling all-nighters to finish smocked dresses.

I can’t say I miss the latter. Easter was a long day when the sewing machine ran all night.

But I did have fun dying eggs, some of which wound up brown after the kids wanted to see what color they would turn if they dipped them into all the PAAS color cups. But who cared if a few didn’t come out looking vibrant. Boiled eggs don’t have a very long shelf life anyway.

As for the Easter baskets, in addition to filling them up with candy and chocolate Easter bunnies, I always had fun including a stuffed animal.

I don’t know what it is about stuffed animals, but they just seem to be the perfect gift for any occasion, but especially Easter.

I have bought ducks and bunnies and lambs and turtles and dogs and cats and bears — Care Bears to be exact. And no, I don’t still have any of them, and my oldest reminds me of this frequently. Years ago, I sold her collection in a garage sale and she reminds me often that they are now worth a fortune now. Who would have known that they would have ever fetched a pretty penny?

My kids are all grown now and I have refrained from giving them any kind of plush toy; however, my stuffed animal fetish has carried over to the grandkids and, as far I can remember, they have received a stuffed animal of some sort since birth.

In fact, my middle daughter requested I stop giving them as gifts. Apparently, she thought her daughters already had enough. But as a grandmother, I didn’t listen. In fact, just this Christmas I wrapped up Squishmallows and handed them out to all of my little darlings.

I don’t know what it is about stuffed animals, but I just find them irresistible. They are soft and cuddly and just all-around cute.

So, when my church decided to do a Lenten ministry that involved stuffed animals, I was on board.

For several weeks, we have been collecting stuffed animals that will be handed out by law enforcement officers to children who are found in situations of distress or trauma.

And when our preacher shared with the congregation our goal, I was kind of surprised.

Our goal, he said, was to collect 600 plushies.

It makes me sad to think that even one child would need to receive a stuffed animal for comfort and solace, let alone 600!

So out I went to Walmart. And with Easter nearing, I found plenty of stuffed animals to choose from. So many in fact, I had a hard time deciding on which ones to buy.

You might have thought that I would have just grabbed a few and been on my way, but that’s not the way it works.

When purchasing a stuffed animal, you first must determine if it has a nice face. I hate to say it, but there are some stuffed animals out there that are just downright scary.  Secondly, it has to pass the touch test. It has to be soft and squishy — but not too squishy — and it needs to be cuddly. While there are some stuffed animals that are cute even when they are a bit “overstuffed” for this particular purchase, I was on the hunt for a stuffed animal that could meld around the child’s neck as if it were giving a big hug.

After much deliberation, I finally made my choices and left the store feeling good about my purchases.

To date, Crawford Street United Methodist Church has collected more than 300 stuffed animals, and I feel optimistic we will reach our goal.

This year was the first time I ever purchased stuffed animals that weren’t meant for Easter baskets at my house, but even so, I’m glad that a little Easter love may provide a bit “hoppiness” for some child!

Happy Easter.

Terri Cowart Frazier writes features for The Vicksburg Post. She can be reached at terri.frazier@vicksburgpost.com.