Simple Ways to Celebrate Easter

[This post was written back in March of 2020. You remember that surreal time in our collective life? Well, even though this post was born out of my attempts to salvage the spirit of the holiday, I hope you will still find some helpful thoughts throughout! - E)

We are just a few days away from the strangest Easter we’ll (hopefully) ever experience.  No church service where everyone is dressed up.  No community egg hunts.  No visits with the Easter Bunny.  So, I’m trying to figure out how I can make sure Easter doesn’t feel like just another day in isolation.  How can we make the best of a bad situation?  I’m so glad you asked!  Here are my ideas from my tiny corner of the world – my neighborhood, my family, & in my own heart…

For My Neighborhood

Our neighborhood is small with a gossipy, I mean, active Facebook group.  (Probably once a week there is a post about either gunshots or missing cats or the lights flickering!)  The positive of this is that they’ve been coordinating different activities to entertain the kids.

• First, we’re using sidewalk chalk to decorate our driveway with happy, positive Easter greetings.
• We also are decorating easter egg outlines to hang in our front window to start a socially distant Easter egg hunt.  I just googled “easter egg outlines” & got plenty of freebies. Here’s one I found that’s got a bunch of sizes & designs along with blank ones too.

For My Family

• We’ve been reading through the Lent guide for the Jesus Storybook Bible.
• We’ll also read this book from the library – That Grand Easter Day. 
• Do a backyard egg hunt complete with a special silver egg with a special prize inside.
• Bake & decorate these cookies from my friend over at Sam’s Dish, using our new cookie cutters.  (If I can find flour!)
• We’re under a “stay at home” order, and buying Easter basket supplies are definitely not an essential errand.  So, I’m still thinking of ways to do something special.  But here are some options that I’m tossing around…
• Backpacks with art supplies
• Umbrellas in their favorite colors
• Getting a special toy in lieu of the traditional basket (Check out my Easter board for some ideas!)

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The Donkey Who Carried a King By R.C. Sproul / Reformation Trust Publishing Give kids a unique perspective on the events of Jesus' Passion Week with this illustrated story by R.C. Sproul, The Donkey Who Carried a King. Davey was a young donkey who never had anything to do . . . until one day some strangers arrived and Davey was given a very special task: to carry the King, Jesus, into Jerusalem. Davey sees things that he doesn't understand, until another donkey helps him see that the King is willingly a Servant on behalf of His people.

For Myself

All the days are blending together, so how can I prepare my heart to celebrate Christ’s resurrection? 

• These are a few of the songs that I’m listening to during this season.  They remind me of the true reason we have this holiday & are such a blessing!
• Hosanna (Praise is Rising)

• At the Cross (Love Ran Red)
• How Deep the Father’s Love for Us
• In Christ Alone
• Living Hope
• Christ Is Risen
• And meditating on the passages of Scripture that recount the story of the Passion week is so essential for me to keep my mind on what matters.
• Matthew 21-28
• Mark 11-16

• Luke 19-24
• John 12-21
• Attending our church’s live stream service as well!  I *might* actually dress up too.  Just for the fun of it.

How are you planning to make Easter special this year?  Any ideas for how we can reach out to our community?  The essential workers?  Give me more ideas in the comments – I’ve apparently got time on my hands!

Cheering you on!

The Garden, the Curtain and the Cross By Carl Laferton / Good Book Company This beautifully illustrated hardback book, The Garden, the Curtain, and the Cross by Carl Laferton and illustrated by Catalina Echeverri, takes children on a journey from the garden of Eden to God's prefect new creation. Through an engaging Bibleoverview, children will discover that 'because of our sin, we can't go in' but because of Jesus' victory on the cross, an even better garden awaits us.