"Easter is what Christmas should be. At least in my household."

Mandy Nolan is a comedian, mother of five and has hidden far too many eggs in her lifetime. For herself.

I adore chocolate. It’s mutual. Chocolate loves me too. It’s a love in my life that has always been unconditional.

Chocolate doesn’t care what time it is, what I am wearing, how much money I have, what I look like. Chocolate is only interested in giving me joy.

My selfless friend is dedicated to my sensory pleasure, a small amount can bring down my blood pressure, improve my memory and digestion and boost my mood. They say that chocolate releases the same endorphins as being in love. And who doesn’t love being in love? Chocolate is one way a busy mum can give back a little to herself…even if it is only a few small delicious mouthfuls of pure love. And guess what? Easter is on the doorstep – an entire day dedicated to the consumption of chocolate.

In fact, it’s not just the one day – we have two public holidays. So in total, the chocolate fairies have decreed we get out of packing lunchboxes over a four-day season of cocoa fun. Oh happy days.

There are five things all mums (and most dads) know to be true at Easter, so in the interest of getting the most out of your long weekend here’s some insights to guide you from the first bite…to the last.

1. Easter egg hunts are brilliant.

Whoever thought of this was a genius. A well-timed hunt can get you some precious Mummy feet-up wine time. And there’s nothing like an Easter Hunt to cut down on screen time. I like to hide the eggs in places they’d never look, like the bottom of their school bags. If you want something cleaned out – like your car, hide a few eggs in there and let the kids loose. They’ll be ferreting under seats and in all those hard to reach places only little arms can go.

2. Easter hats are weird.

I don’t get the idea of wearing a small cardboard garden with a rabbit perched on top of an egg nest and walking around in a circle for the amusement of others. I like to leave my Easter hat making until the morning of the school parade, and then it’s a quick trip to the recycling bin in what feels like a Survivor challenge. Luckily last year I’d had my MALTESERS, so I used the box to make the base, added a few toilet rolls and perched the delicious MALTESERS bunny right in the middle. My kid’s head looked like a chocolate display from the local supermarket. It’s funny, it's embarrassing and it's delicious. She would have won first prize except someone ate her hat on the bus.

3. Don’t leave Easter egg buying to the last minute.

That's so Christmas. The great thing about buying Easter eggs early is that when the kids go to bed you can break into the egg stash and knock off a few when you’re in the middle of a Netflix binge. Anyway, now is the time to grab the best chocky because otherwise come Easter Saturday the good chocolate is gone. Shelves have already been looted. It’s like a scene from Chocolypse Now.

4. Easter is what Christmas should be.

The awesome thing about Easter is that it's SO easy to get it right. It’s not super expensive like Christmas. It doesn’t involve ridiculous amounts of ham consumption. You don’t have to make a hot lunch or put up a tree. Or create some sort of light show in your front yard. Shopping centres don’t drive you crazy with Easter Carols. You just need to get a six pack of Easter buns, get your kids to make a nest at the bottom of their beds and all you have to do is remember to drop off a few eggs to keep the old egg-laying bunny mythology on track and you are a winner. Don’t do what this mum did one year, which was have one wine too many and snuggle into bed before performing the egg drop.

Some very disappointed children. One said "Isn’t the Easter bunny real"? I said "Yes of course he’s real… Maybe you were bad". Truth was, it was Mummy who was bad. Eggs were later ‘discovered’ under beds. "Easter Bunny must have been tired," I lied.

 Even the Easter Bunny needs sleep, OK. Image: GIPHY/NBC

5. Easter is a chance to teach your children the joy of delayed gratification.

The trick to enjoying a delicious four-day Easter weekend is to make that chocolate last. It’s a fridge-based psychological test. Whichever one of your children can make the chocolate last the longest is the most functional. Don’t tell my kids, but this mama fails that test every time!

Feel the love. Enjoy your Easter. You deserve it. All mums should sample the chocolates for their children weeks ahead, just to make sure. It’s not pilfering, it’s good parenting.

Tell us - is it OK to believe in the Easter Bunny? Or do you have any Easter egg hunt hacks? We're all (bunny) ears.

This content was created with thanks to our brand partner MALTESERS.