Hawke's Bay Today news editor James Ford. Photo / File
Easter is just around the corner and I'm sure, like me, you are all about ready for a wee break.
It's always a nice time of year because we've seen the back of summer and the evenings draw in.
It won't be long before we have the log burners on.
I'm sure many will be planning trips away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.
And let's not forget the chocolate … we can't forget the chocolate.
Like most public holidays Easter has become more commercialised.
The chocolate eggs seem to become more ostentatious each year.
I'm as guilty as the next person in not acknowledging the origins of Easter as I should.
At home our main priority has been organising an egg hunt for our 20-month-old son and buying him a bunny suit.
As someone who was christened a Catholic, I must admit I felt pretty ignorant when reflecting on how I've bought into the commercialisation that seems to have absorbed so many of our annual holidays.
Easter, of course, is a festival and holiday celebrating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.
Holy Week contains the days of the Easter Triduum - including Maundy Thursday, commemorating the Maundy and Last Supper - and Good Friday, commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus.
Whether we consider ourselves religious or not, it certainly broadens the mind to understand the origins of important dates in our calendar.
I'll certainly be doing some reading this weekend.
I hope you all have a happy Easter and a well-deserved break.
More than 300 properties across Hastings and Napier were deemed Category 3.