A Very Springy Idea March 20, 2008
For a long time (before having kids) I postulated and theorized about how I would keep the spirit of the Christian holidays we celebrate at the forefront of our minds while living in the midst of the secular world. Recently, and I apologize because I can’t remember where, I read a fantastic idea for Easter, and we’re putting it into practice starting this year.
Since the commercialization starts so early (like the day after Valentine’s Day), why not celebrate the first day of Spring (which happens to be today) with all the candies, egg hunts, bunnies and chicks? That way, when Easter rolls around (and they are incredibly close together this year, which isn’t usually the case), our family will have all that “stuff” behind us and Christ’s death and resurrection before us. And we can focus on what is important.
In practice, this will morph as the children (Lord-willing we’ll have more!) get older. This year, I made some fun cookies for friends and family and have a couple little stuffed toys for Anja that we’ll put in a basket. We can decorate eggs and have chocolate and what have you as she gets older. And for Easter we can attend the Maundy Thursday and Easter church services, read about Passion Week in the Bible and act out scenes, and a kazillion other good ideas to help us understand the truth of Christ’s blood shed for our sins.
Speaking of which…I’d love to hear about Easter traditions your families have so I can have some cool ideas for both of these holidays!
Dang, I wish I would have read this earlier, or you would have written it yesterday - I already sent Mantha to her dad in the city! Remind me of this next year, I LOVE THE IDEA!!!
Besides, how can you celebrate too hard when we are getting nailed with snow-a-freaking-gain!
UGH, can it end now please?
BTW, I will complain again when it gets hot out!
We don’t do Eater Eggs, for the same reasons you mentioned, but we do a Spring Egg hunt, because it’s just fun! We do it sometime around Easter, either a few days before or a few days after. Sometimes we’ll invite a few other families over, and have a bunch of kids running around at the same time, all doing the egg thing.
Wouldn’t know about at that Easter snow. You cracked me up when you said that Spring was coming there … with temps getting up to the 40’s. I’d die. Or run away to Mexico. I’m not cut out for the cold. It was 50 this morning when I got up, and I put on a jacket to feed the chickens and get the newspaper. (Insert Heidi making fun of Brea the Wuss here)
Hope you and that sweet baby and the husband have a great week. Thanks for your comments; I always love hearing from you!
~Brea