You can bring me flowers. Just hold the hyacinths

Nothing is more beautiful than a deep purple or pink hyacinth. From a distance.

Yes, they are gorgeous Easter flowers. Cheap too.

The thing about hyacinths, though… and lilies…and daffodils…is that they smell. Strong.

That causes a severe allergy for some people, including me.

I love getting a whiff of them outdoors and even have them in my own garden.  I cannot be in the same room  indoors with them.

Easter is the one day I try not to sit up front in church.  The smell of the lilies gives me an instant headache and sets my eyes watering. I was reduced to tears at my son’s wedding because of lilies in the bouquet. No joke, folks.

 I realize I’m not the only one.

Lilacs are just as beautiful and just as problematic. One  poor woman lives on Benadryl the whole time the flowers are blooming.

What to do?  Well, it’s true that an antihistamine works. So does putting them outside or in the garage or anywhere else out of nose range.

If you’re the giver rather than the givee, think about people who have allergies. Try tulips. Or better yet, forget the flowers. Get chocolate. It’s the universal gift, and pretty darn popular, too.