A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion The Banter Hall Home for the Holidays Easter

Hi everyone ~

Easter is the next major holiday and will be early this year. I'm looking for some fresh ideas to celebrate. It is my favorite holiday because it hasn't been as badly damaged by commercialism as some of the other holidays and we love to go all out celebrating it. Even so, I want to do something different this year.

I thought if we all shared our favorite traditions for this holiday, we might inspire one another!

Merme

merme this is how my holiday usually goes--

I sing in the Church choir--sometime 1 x and sometimes for 2 services and we all go to church together (although this year there are 3 churches to consider)-

-Sometimes there is a church breakfast sometimes not.---

then we-my whole family- go to someones house for a dinner that is at about 1 or 2pm.

While it has been years since we have had an egg hunt in the yard--I STILL make up 4 Easter Baskets for my 2 girls and their DH's.--They look forward to it---and baskets, or at least cards for my youngest niece(13) & nephew(16)

This last part is something else I do for ME--because I enjoy doing it.

My kids and I have always made up small baskets for friends and neighbors who did not have grandchildren nearby or none at all to share the holiday with. We always do different types of baskets each year. This all started when I was small and we did a basket for my grandparents. We remembered that their next door neighbors had no children nor grands so we made a basket for them too. We would put the baskets on their porches, ring the bell and run away (They knew we were coming).
It is a way to teach my children the joy of giving. These same people gift my children with goodies on b-days, holidays and just-because days all year long. It is nice to give back. And it is just a tradition that I treasure.

What do you guys usually prepare for Easter breakfast and dinner?

What do you usually wear?

Merme

We don't dress for Easter, Merme. And we don't eat special. It is a day for sharing and reflection for me, not labels and ladles.

BACK in the day I always bought somethng new to wear for Easter--but then with the onset of kids--of course they got the new clothes--which always fell at season change time so it worked well.--shoes too. Even now I very seldom buy myself new clothes for any Hiloday--perhpas a new blouse---

No special breakfast--like I say some years we go to the church breakfast if they have one--otherwise I have sweet roles & such, & fruit here to eat on the run.

the dinner food--I am not a big ham person--so I usually bake/roast a large turkey Breast and make some company potaotes (a casserole). My family always brings the "sides" and we have a kind of pot luck here. each family also brings a dessert & we all get to sample them as well. IF I make a dessert I like to make my SIL a cheesecake-

When DD was young, I used to buy a pretty Easter dress and bonnet for her and my mom would take her to church. DD and I would make a special bunny cake and we'd have a big turkey supper. Of course the chocolate and candy in the basket was the norm as well. Then we'd spend some time with grandma~who'd wait for her cards and flowers.

Now I still buy chocolate for the kids and DH. We usually go out for supper as well, and we still visit grandma~who waits for her cards and flowers

In my extended family, Easter is the official kick off to summer foods and it is the year's first sample of our favorite potato salad. Whatever else goes on the plate (ham or lamb), there is potato salad also!

Because we participate in a liturgical church, we spend the six weeks prior to Easter (the season of Lent) in reflection, prayer, study, sacrifice, meeting with friends for intimate conversation. We do everything with restraint, including our foods and clothes. So Easter Day is THE day of Joy and oh man, we pull out all the stops for it!

An Easter outfit -- with a bonnet -- is a must! Fortunately, I sew. And I'm quite good at decorating a simple hat as well. It's just part of the joy is all.

Merme

I don't always get a new outfit anymore but my grand children do and Darbi usually wears a hat. I have each of the grans an Easter basket. We have different things for lunch depending on how many are coming to eat.

Year before last I sent out a memo that everyone had to decorate an Easter bonnet and we would have an Easter parade for trophys. Johnny bought little trophys for everyone. It was a lot of fun. My mother decorated a sun visor with easter stuff and we had a few regular hats with eggs on top. The grans loved it.

That is a WONDERFUL idea, Sheri!

Merme

I have an Easter picture somewhere of me and mom before we went to church---I think we both had hats. I'll have to dig for it.

When I we were little we got new dresses every Easter for church. And a big dinner.

Now we just have the big dinner since I don't attend church right now. I need to find one that gels with me.

I don't attend either Loz, DH and I are from two different religions. I'd rather his church than mine though....maybe after we are married it will be time for us to start attending again.

I have that problem too Tamara....Mark is Catholic and I'm Methodist. Although he's not really a practicing Catholic, he was just raised that way when he was younger. I don't think he'd mind going to a church I picked out for us. If I start going again though it will probably be just me and mom.

Last year I did a HUGE Easter Egg hunt for Athena, I bought those plastic eggs and candy, and little toys for inside them, and money for inside others. The weather was bad though and we had to have it inside.

I think this year I will do an Easter Egg hunt with a twist. It'll be a scavenger hunt, since she loves those...each egg will be well hidden with a clue to the next egg inside. At the end of the hunt she can find her basket I'll make her with candy, toys, and maybe a new Webkinz.

I like your scavenger hunt idea, loz.

Although in my extended family, we always hide the Easter basket so the kids have to go on "the bunny trail" looking for it, my neice put a different spin on that tradition when her boys were small.

In her version of the game, she gave each boy an empty basket and hid the candy on a "trail" through the house, leading to a nice toy. The kids filled their baskets as they went along until they found their toys.

Merme

My kids always had to find their baskets before raking in the loot.

How did you play that game, Tina? I'm not sure I understand.

Merme

Not really a game. All of my kids had baskets with their name on it. The baskets would get hidden around the room with the eggs and candy on Easter eve. They had to find their basket before they could start collecting. The youngest kids' were easiest to find. But the older kids always helped their younger sibs anyway. There was usually a gift in the basket geared toward each child, a book or a toy.
Our Easter is usually too damp to do an outdoor hunt.

Cool ideas from both of you!

Athena loves scavenger hunts so I think she'll be thrilled to find clues in hidden eggs....I look forward to the egg thing almost more than she does! Big kid that I am!

Easter is early this year and so Ash Wednesday is February 6th. So always on the day before, "Fat Tuesday" (Shrove Tuesday) we go to church for a fancy pancake supper. That's the last of the feasting until Easter Day. Someday I would like to go to Mardi Gras and do Shrove Tuesday with lots of good Cajun cooking.

What do you all do for Fat Tuesday?

Merme

we don't usually do anything, i might make pancakes if I can get up early enough, but this new schoo lstarts and half an hour early so i probbaly won't have time thi year

we do not do anything either--it all starts on Ash wednesday here

Yup, we don't eat meat on Ash Wednesday here.

We eat pancakes here for Shrove.

I skip meat on ash wednesday and the Easter week, and it's just bread and water every friday during Lent, no candy or treats...my family doesn't seem to care much though

I forgot to say that we always have Hot Cross Buns on Good Friday.

Carol, the traditional reason people eat pancakes etc on Shrove or Fat Tuesday was to give housewives a chance to use up all their rich cooking ingredients before Ash Wednesday which begins the season hallmarked typically with restraint. In the days before refridgeration/freezing, these things would spoil and go to waste.

Many liturgical churches host a pancake supper for Shrove Tuesday and people enjoy it.

Merme

Thanks for the information, Merme.
I am sure they DO enjoy the pancakes--I just had not ever heard of that. the only time we ever have a pancake meal at our church was/is easter morning between the 2 services.

We usually order a honey baked ham and have a nice meal. In the morning we hide plastic eggs all around the house for the kids to find. They each have their own color so if they accidentally find someone else's egg their supposed to keep looking and not say anything. Then we make up a scavenger hunt for them to find their baskets. We have them go all over the house and even outside to find clues as to where their baskets might me. They enjoy it. We mostly just relax and have a good day together.

The one color is a good idea, Cheryl.

Seperate colors for each child is a very neat idea, Cheryl. With only one kid in the house, I've never had to think of that.

We have gone to a few badly organized public egg hunts where the big (9 to 12 year olds) were competing with the little (2 to 4 year olds). Naturally, the big kids cleared the fleld while the little ones were still admiring the first egg they found or having trouble finding any. I often thought that having seperate hunts for the different age groups was a better idea, but even different colors for the different ages would also work!

One year when Maxi was still quite small, he had gone on "the bunny trail" and found his basket and we'd had our celebrations at home and then left for church. While we were gone, his dad stopped by and left another basket on the doorstep and hid dozens of plastic eggs with all kinds of loot all over the yard and then left.

When we got home, Maxi jumped out of the car and said "Mommy, the Easter Bunny wasn't done with me yet!" and was thrilled to pieces. His dad never told him that he'd stopped by and did that.

Merme

that is a lovely story, merme. It is the sign of a truely good daddy.

We tend to celebrate ALL holidays to an extreme around here, Carol Jean. It started when Maxi was an infant because I wanted to give him a sense of the passing year and meeting old joys all over again. So we'd go all out for even the little holidays.

When he was in Kindergarden, I made exquisite bunny masks for all his class and little fluffy bunny tails. I planned some games with prizes. The kids had a blast, because I told them that the Easter Bunny really likes it if the little children can imitate him all over town so that if he is accidently seen on Easter, people will just think it is Mrs. Bureau's class practicing again!

So we had contests for wiggling noses and tails and hopping and all sorts of things so that each kid won a cool prize.

The teachers in the school said they had never seen such beautiful bunny masks before and I was embarassed because they were so simple!

Merme

Maxi is truely 1 lucky little boy--but I am sure he knows that.

well Easter week has begun---

what is everyone doing for Easter??

I am having easter here this year. it will be a simple affair--ham, potato salad, deviled eggs and some type of veggie dish.---
With that menu I can fix it up mostly ahead of time & not be so rushed.---
I am still not doing a lot of work type things so slow is good.

dessert will be a Birthday Cake for Valarie. She will be 28, April 3rd.

(I really do not think I am old enough to be her mom, am I) ????

My mother has invited us to her place for Easter this year....turkey and ham as well as all the fix-ins. DH's birthday is the 24th so we'll be having his birthday cake for dessert as well.

I'll also go visit my grandmother...picked up chocolate for a few close kiddies...and DH also.

I am having Easter at my house this year. This will be the first holiday that I have had. My mom has always had them but has decided that she doesn't want to have them all. That is understandable.

So...I am making ham, potatoes, corn, pies, dinner rolls...and who knows what else. My mom, my sister and my brother are all bringing something too.

I bought a bunch of stuff so that I could have an egg hunt for the kids. Too bad it will only be 35 degrees and it will more than likely be muddy. If it is too bad I will end up having it in the house which I don't want to do. We will see.

Jessica, don't forget to hide some of those eggs in places where the kids won't find them.... a girl has to have treats also

Good idea Tam!!!

I hope the water goes down here in time for easter, if not we'll be doing eggs in the house.

yea well Belinda---we can all just get into our row boats & save the gas money--


in the last 3 days it has rained an excess of 5 inches here.

note: My SIL requested company potatoes to go with the ham---i would prefer that as well---but BUYING potato salad is far easier-

see ladies, I am not even making the P. salad.--- who knew one could actually DO such a thing???

Mom is making the deviled eggs & Emily is making the green bean casserole.

yeaa !!! less work for me !!!