If you were to look back through our photo albums, you would see that every Easter looks identical. Sure, the kids get taller. The Easter dresses change. Our traditions do not. Obviously, with a stay-at-home order throughout our state due to COVID-19, we had to adjust a bit this year.
Typically, our easter goes like this:
Our first Easter dinner in our own (partially renovated) dining room!
The kids awaken to Easter baskets filled with candy. We eat breakfast, prepare a broccoli salad for later, then get ready for church. Obligatory Easter photos are taken and we head out the door. After church, we rush home, put on more comfortable clothing, and load the car to drive a few minutes away to my aunt’s house where we have a big Easter dinner. If the weather is good, we have a huge Easter Egg hunt for all the kids, then fly kites in the front yard. It’s lovely. We do this every….. single….. year.
This year, after weeks spent at home, the days started to blend together. It was really important to me that Easter day didn’t feel like just another day in our corona time vortex. Perhaps more than any other year, Jim and I were mindful when planning our day.
Our egg-dying results
We started celebrating on Saturday evening with egg dying. Then, the kids put out their empty Easter baskets and got ready for bed. In the morning, they awoke to baskets full of candy. After looking through his basket, 8yo exclaimed, “I am drowning in happiness!” The morning was off to a great start!
Jim made breakfast, then everyone got dressed. The kids and I attended church online while Jim prepared Easter dinner in the kitchen, filling the house with the delicious smell of glazed ham.
The kids did Easter crafts while watching the service. The Easter Bunny made a quick appearance with the help of our local fire department, then we sat down in our partially-renovated dining room to eat the first Easter dinner we’ve ever had in our own house.
The weather in the afternoon was beautiful. We held an Easter egg hunt in our own yard, then made s’mores over a campfire in our fire pit. Our parents came over and social-distanced on the other side of the fire while the kids played in the yard. We stayed outside until dark.
Most years, the days surrounding Easter are very busy and we celebrate the same way each time without much thought. Getting everything ready can even feel like a chore. This year was different. Each moment was special. Perhaps this will be our most memorable Easter ever.