New and Old Traditions

When I first became a mother,

I assumed our family would quickly settle on some favorite holiday traditions

that we would happily repeat year after year.

Maybe some families do that,

but I've found that my family (or at least their mother)

tends to tweak a few things every year.

For example, this year we ditched cleansing the temple for Holy Week

(because it always seemed more rowdy than reverent),

and focused instead on why Jesus cursed the fig tree,

and how we can produce good fruit in our lives.

Then we ate a bunch of fruit, plus some fig bars for good measure.

You never know what the annual Easter party will be like at church.

Will it be a breakfast or a dinner?  Will there be a religious program, or just a fun one?

In a previous ward, they had a full-on sugar fest, complete with Easter bunny.

This Easter Week, our ward hosted a nice soup pot luck, with a little play about Christ's Resurrection

and some Bible-themed activities for the kids.

 

Some of our Easter celebrations are variations on a familiar theme.

For example, when we decorated pieces of a cross this time,

the kids upped the ante by using fancy art supplies,

and Joy decorated her piece with watercolors.

We also decorated Easter eggs on Spy Wednesday as usual

(and Daddy made the dye baths because that stresses me out) . . .

. . . but the kids decided to mix things up by decorating some of their eggs

to look like national flags.

Arriba, Argentina!

My favorite part of our family's Holy Week celebration is always

watching Easter Bible videos while baking Empty Tomb Rolls on Sunday evening.

(We've noticed that no matter how carefully we seal those rolls, 

the marshmallow always leaks out.  

One of my kids noted that that may be a bonus symbol of the recipe,

since the tomb couldn't keep Jesus in either.)

I still felt like there's a little something missing from our Easter Sunday though.

It's the most important holiday of the year, and I want our family to find 

a joyful but meaningful way to celebrate together after we come home from church.

As I pondered that dilemma this evening, I think I finally hit upon a solution

(probably some variation of an Easter egg hunt and Resurrection eggs).

Tune in next year to see how that works out!