It can be tough to give Easter its due. Christmas gets decorations, carols, special treats, concerts, two weeks off from school, and even most people get the day off for the national holiday. Easter can sneak up on us. It happens on a different day each year, sometimes nearly a month apart. We usually get only a weekend to focus on it because school schedules no longer arrange spring break around Easter. It just doesn’t get the hype that Christmas does.
But according to President Gordon B. Hinckley, “There would be no Christmas if there had not been Easter. The babe Jesus of Bethlehem would be but another baby without the redeeming Christ of Gethsemane and Calvary, and the triumphant fact of the Resurrection.”
Here are five suggestions to make Easter as special and memorable as Christmas.
- An Easter Walk
Our family does an annual Easter walk (weather permitting) where we find symbols of Christ, His life, death, and Resurrection in the beautiful rebirth of Spring. We base this on the book Easter Walk by Deborah Pace Rowley, available here.
- Special Easter-only foods
These can be Easter-themed or not, but having something entirely unique to the holiday sets it apart. Our favorite is pavlova.
While not Easter-themed, it uses a number of eggs for the meringue. It’s light and delicious, uses in-season strawberries, and tastes like Spring.
For a more themed treat, try Resurrection rolls. They are made with marshmallows that melt in the baking so when you break open the roll, it is empty inside like the Lord’s empty tomb.
- Scripture Scavenger Hunt
Do a community or neighborhood free-for-all egg hunt on Saturday, but on Sunday morning, do a scripture scavenger hunt for eggs instead. Give each child a plastic egg with a scripture clue inside that will guide them to the next egg. It might say, “And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life,” John 6:35. The second egg would then be in your bread box or wherever you keep bread. When children are old enough to look up scriptures themselves, just write the reference. Put a treat or prize or picture of Jesus at the end of the scavenger hunt.
- Have a Last Supper
Dress in costumes and eat a dinner representing ancient Israel. It might be olives, grapes, fish, goat cheese, cucumbers, pita bread, and more. During dinner, talk about the events of Holy Week from Palm Sunday to Good Friday to Easter Sunday.
- Make a Resurrection Garden
This is an easy DIY project that creates a fun Easter decoration and an opportunity to discuss Christ’s sacrifice and Resurrection.
Most importantly, tell the story. Teach of Jesus that your children will know the great joy and hope of the Resurrection and the reason for celebrating this Easter season. Unless we teach our little ones the true meaning of Easter, of Christ’s sacrifice, Atonement, and Resurrection, they may not know to set aside the Bunny and treasure the Lamb.
