Monday, April 9, 2012

Truly Easter

Easter is a tough holiday. I mean, I have no problem with pagan symbols and traditions when it's Halloween. Because it's just Halloween. But on Easter we're supposed to be commemorating Christ's resurrection, and it's difficult to explain that darn bunny and a bunch of colorful eggs to my kids. So I basically told my kids that the bunny and eggs traditions just happen to fall on the same day we celebrate the resurrection; just a coincidence. We can celebrate both, but we have to remember which is more important.
(Cute Easter cupcakes we made with supplies my mom sent us in the mail. Bree and Mason decided which friends and neighbors to share them with.)



And yes, the kids had baskets filled with candy and silly gifts.
 
 


And we found eggs.
But the Easter Bunny also left something special in our basket. It was a letter. The Easter Bunny told our family to remember Christ on this special day, and asked us to watch a special video called "He is Risen" on lds.org. He told us that the reminder of what Christ did for us was the best gift he could give us. So we all watched the video, and even though it's difficult to say how much of this stuff was sinking in (especially when 4-year-old Mason can barely sit still on the couch, let alone contemplate the significance of the atonement and resurrection), it really set a nice tone for the day, and the Easter Bunny was all but forgotten as we got ready for church.

After church, Bree showed me the treats that her teacher had given her, and I commented on how lucky she was. The she said, "Today was the best day at church, ever." I asked her what the best part was, expecting to hear that it was because of the goodies. She said, "The best part was learning about Jesus and his resurrection." I said, "Awww," and told her that made me very happy. Chad commented later that she was probably just telling me what I want to hear. I told him, hey, at least she knows what the best part of Easter really is.

And if she only said it to make me happy, then I'm okay with that.

3 comments:

Frances Wallace said...

The cupcakes look yummy!

The letter in the baskets was a great idea.

Jaime Lynne said...

Love this post. Love the cupcakes. Love Bree.

Melissa said...

I agree. I also have a hard time with the whole Easter bunny thing. We try to down play that part, although we still do the egg hunt and baskets also. I love the idea of the letter in the basket. I'm with you on the Bree comment also; even if she did say it because it's what you wanted to hear, she still got the message of the most important part. :)

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