About a holiday soon forgotten?

Easter came ...and sort of just went this year. Perhaps it was the snow and cold weather that finally found its way to our country (formerly known as the country where polar bears walk around on the streets but where we rarely see snow during the winter season nowadays, and where swimming pools have become increasingly popular) that took us by surprise. Or perhaps it is the fact that Easter is a holiday that has lost some of its grandeur in present time. I bet when you were in my age Easter was a holiday that was of great importance to people in general.
Take Good Friday, for instance. I've heard the stories about what a dull day Good Friday used to be back in the days. Families went to church and sat there for ours repenting their sins and mourning the man who suffered and died to redeem common men. The only things shown on TV were really morose kind of shows that didn't aim to entertain anyone but to remind people about the austerity of Easter. It used to be the longest day of the year because it was such a solemn day.
In present time Good Friday is as any other Sunday, with all shops open between 10 to 5. Most churches are what you would probably think of as spacious with few visitors in relation to our countries' population. It's actually difficult to find anything to remind us about why this day is holy. I managed to tune in one radio station that actually aired a divine service while the other channels aired shows focusing on how to decorate your Easter eggs or what kind of candy we favor in our candy eggs.
Another thing that is striking is how little we decorate our homes. I've seen pictures from the time when grandpa was a child and from your Easter decorated home with twigs filled with colored feathers, porcelain Easter bunnies and chickens. Beautifully colored eggs and yellow table clothes. But on the other hand you had all the time in the world to prepare for Easter.
This year I worked till 4 p m on the Thursday before Good Friday. Finally at home I rushed to the supermarket to buy food for the weekend. I actually remembered to buy twig and feathers this year, and some decoration egg. Finally at home I had a late dinner and fell asleep on the couch.
On Good Friday morning I vacuumed the entire apartment and decorated the living room with feathers and yellow table clothes. When the kids woke up and saw what I had done my three-year old asked me when Santa was coming. Okay, so I have one thing to teach him about when it comes to our different holidays. Maybe it's time to talk about God...
The rest of the day I spent in the kitchen preparing a good meal for the family. If anyone wonder what my lazy husband was doing I can assure you he didn't get any more rest than I did. He took care of the kids and of one week's dirty laundry. No rest. No serenity in sight.
I do however believe that even if we live in a secularized society where the actual cause for celebration is soon to be forgotten there is still a need for some spirituality and for actual time to contemplate our lives and values. In my imagination you had much more of both time and spirituality even though you probably lived a much harder life than I do today. The difference is that in your days you were allowed, one might say even forced to rest on a few days every year. That's something we lack today.