When I visited the Cadbury chocolate factory in Dunedin in 2012, our tour guide used mini chocolate bars to bribe the kids to ask questions as we walked around. But I didn't need chocolate bribery. I had my question - I'd pondered it for years. My hand was up before any of the eager, sugar-hungry kids could even blink.
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"Is it just me, or does easter egg chocolate taste better than regular chocolate?" I asked.
I don't remember the details of the answer - something about the amount of oil used and its ability to hold shape better. The answer in its most basic form? Yes, yes it does.
So when the colourful, alfoil wrappers start glinting from the supermarket shelves, I rejoice - the best kind of chocolate is finally back.
But my rejoicing is of course drowned out by the mass collective groans of the haters. "It just happens earlier every year," they despair.
And it's the same for their baked cousin, the delightful hot cross bun. Remove the cross, and you have a fruit bun, available all year round and apparently not offensive to the masses. But add that doughy cross, and the social media brigade loses their collective minds, Facebooking photos of the offending buns - "When will the madness end!"
I can assure you, I'll be ignoring the judgey stares all the way to the checkout as I have my first Cadbury Creme Egg of the season, with a side of butter-laden hot cross bun. Once Easter nears, I will also fill my freezer with the buns so I can enjoy a hint of Easter goodness well into the following months.
The reality is, the shops wouldn't put them on the shelves if they didn't sell, so the fact they're available so early means I'm far from alone. And Easter is early this year, falling at the end of March. So all the more reason to get cracking.
I think we can all agree that the complete commercialisation of some religious holidays happened long ago. And as someone who isn't religious myself, I realise I can't fully understand the offence caused by it all.
But chocolate eggs and hot cross buns are just a seasonal version of chocolate, and a seasonal version of a baked item. They're hardly hurting anyone, surely (unless you're talking about blood sugar levels and waistlines, but that's a whole other story).
So before you complain this year, just stop and think. It's really not hard to ignore them in shops if they really offend you. And with the state of the world as it is, do you really want to rid those who do enjoy them an extra bit of joy?
What's the little thing that annoys you the most? Let us know in the comments below, or, if you really want to get it off your chest, email us at online@canberratimes.com.au
