These baskets of Easter treats are typically laden with sugar and other goodness that will have kids bouncing off the walls after consuming just a few things. According to reports, Easter is now the second largest candy-consuming holiday after Halloween. That means that Easter is bigger than Christmas and Valentine’s Day when it comes to sugar consumption.

At first I did not believe that was true but after a few trips with my wife to the local stores I have become a believer. Walking down the aisles of Wal-Mart was like walking the sugar gauntlet. Everywhere you turned there were more multi-colored packages proclaiming the amazing taste of these sugary treasures.

I had very early on decided that I would refrain from any of the traditional Easter candies. That was a major milestone for me. I am perhaps the world’s biggest fan of Peeps, those marshmallow treats that are covered in colored sugar dust. Throughout my childhood I have very fond memories of sitting down with a package of sugar bunnies and chickens biting their heads off and singing about the pleasures of marshmallow.

This year I find myself remembering how great those times were yet I had absolutely no desire to open a package. Gone were the days where you sliced open the cellophane and let them sit for days until they became hard and crusty. No longer would I put a Peep in a mug of hot chocolate like some sort of confectionery hot tub or set them in the microwave and watch the bunnies grow like some sort of monster about to destroy Tokyo.

The journey towards healthy living has made me change a lot of what I once thought was natural. So while the kids each received Reese’s Peanut Butter eggs, jellybeans, and the beloved Peeps, my basket was filled with portion controlled energy bars and healthy raw almonds. Granted you’ll never see a basket like this on the Food Network but I’m fine with that. In the end I’ll feel better and not have to worry about falling into a sugar coma.

What gets my heart going pitter-patter this time of year is the emergence of Peeps. Oh those cute little conjoined marshmallow treats dipped in colored sugar crystals. There is nothing quite as soothing as opening up a package of chicks or bunnies and chewing their heads off. That’s how I eat them, heads first, tails last. I once dated a girl who ate the tails first. What a strange woman! It’s hard to respect a girl who focuses her Peep efforts in the wrong direction. Sorry, I got distracted for a second. My favorites are the bunnies and preferably not pink. It is not that I won’t eat pink bunnies it is just that I am not sure how comfortable I am eating anything pink let alone the head of a sugared marshmallow rabbit. Besides the bunnies give the appearance of being healthier since their bulk is somewhat smaller than the chicks. According to the Peeps web site the calorie content from each is very similar; which is one of the great mysteries of the universe in my opinion. My favorites used to be the purple and the teal. I would open two packages and alternate the two colors. I always felt like that was paying homage to the Arizona Diamondbacks which of course is the domain of my other blog Diary of a Diehard. But since the Diamondbacks have changed their colors to Sedona Red and Black I find myself shunning the purple and teal Peeps. That’s unfortunate since it wasn’t their fault but what are you going to do? This year my excitement for Peeps was somewhat tempered. In years past Peep bunnies came packaged 16 to a package while Peep chicks were packaged in lots of 15. That’s a lot of sugar goodness for less than a dollar. So imagine my indignation when I went into the store and found that Peeps have been downsized! Chicks are now packaged in groups of 10 and bunnies have seen their brethren reduced to just 12. It is like Peeps genocide. Slowly an entire race of Peeps is being destroyed and not one of the major news networks is so much as reporting it. How could such an atrocity not be the top story on every news channel in America? This is a conspiracy that is orders of magnitude greater than who killed JFK yet it is going unnoticed. I stood at the display incredulous at what was happening. I described my outrage to other shoppers in the store but rather than rally with me around this cause my comments were met with blank stares and scattering shopping carts. You know Nazi Germany started this way and you remember how that ended up don’t you? I for one don’t plan on letting this deed go unpunished. I am at this very moment drafting a letter to my Congressmen and another letter to all the major political candidates so that I can understand what their views are on Peeps genocide. Mark my words, this is going to become a very big campaign issue. The next presidency could very well be decided based upon the candidates’ views of Peep preservation.