Traditions Of Easter.

Happy Easter Everyone! I thought I'd share with you the small traditions I have at Easter. Easter is pretty low key around here. It's usually just me and my daughter. When she falls asleep I creep around arranging things for her Easter morning. I remember how easter was when I was a kidlet. Each of us pretty much had a certain spot at the dinner table. Growing up, since my siblings and I were close in age and way too active for our own good, my father assigned colors to us: My older brother's color was blue, then my sister's was red, I was yellow and the youngest, his color was green. We each has plate, cup, bowl, comb, brush, toothbrush, and a variety of other things in our color. To my parent's credit, AWESOME IDEA! Even in our middle aged adulthood we still follow this pattern and find ourselves reverting to our colors when we purchase things.

Anyway, easter morning we'd wake up and the dining room table would be decked out! There would be the easter grass all over the table with colored eggs, jelly beans, chocolate, peeps... you know the works. And where each child sat for dinner would be an easter basket. In each easter basket would be the bunny of your color , that's who you knew which basket was yours, and a big chocolate easter bunny. It was an AWESOME site to wake up and see. Then we'd get dressed in our new easter clothes: My sister and I Matching dresses, white buckle shoes with matching white purse, white tights. My brothers, new easter suites and newly shined shoes. WE WERE SHARP and we knew it! After church we'd go visit both sets of grandparents and model our selves for their cameras. Then sit down to a dinner of Ham, scalloped potatoes and stuff I honestly cant even remember. That's what I remember MOST about easter growing up.


I do thing somewhat differently. The first couple years, I did the bunny thing with the table and all of that. It was fun to watch my daughter as she was younger. I realized early on this kid was different though. Each year I would notice myself throwing away the chocolate easter bunny, jelly beans and other goodies from last year the night before I replaced it for the current year. She wasn't as interested in the goodies and dressing ups a she was in hearing the stories of easter.

This child was letting me know that I needed a new Gig for easter. When she reached the age of 4 or 5 I was roaming along the store looking at the stuffed bunnies thinking... how I was going to make her easter worth it this year. Something caught my eye: A midst the chaos of stuffed easter bunnies and fuzzy little yellow chicks lay a stuffed lamb all alone. It was literally off the side by itself. In my flashed before me the words..."The Lamb Of God." Swooped up the lamb and formulated a whole new gig.

That Easter morning when she woke up, there was easter grass on the table with a small bit of goodies. In the middle of the Easter grass was a little lamb with a gift. As my daughter loved to read and be read to, I wrote down the story about the Lamb of God being Jesus Christ, and how he was God's gift to us. And I proceeded to write out how Jesus Christ gift to us was paying for our sins in the garden of Gethsemane and then allowing himself to be crucified, giving us the gift of eternal life. SHE LOVED IT! A new tradition was born.

Each year, she gets a new "lamb of God" and that lamb brings her a "gift." Each year the older lambs are put on the table and surround the newest lamb. Through the years we discussed the different symbolizations of the lambs: The 1 and 99. One Fold, One shepherd. Other sheep I have not of this fold. The Good shepherd. My sheep know my name, and so on. Each year the gifts are different: Scriptures. Journals. A new book. Types of jewelry.
I think my favorite was the year I bought her a necklace with a cross. We Latter Day Saints aren't much into crosses so some people freaked out about it. We focus more on the resurrection and the living God than the visual of a beat down Jesus on the cross. I wanted her to have the reminder before he could rise again, he first had to die.

Each year I make sure she has something to read in relation to this Holy Day.

She's not as into fancy easter clothes as I am... ( some things just stay with you). Me and my hat tip into church and just wait for the comments. (Mormon women aren't into hats and things, unless it's pioneer day, then it's a pioneer bonnet) Each year the women profess "I wish I would have gotten a hat to wear, but I would just look foolish in it." To which I say... "GIRL, go on and get the hat next year, we can look foolish together!"

Easter dinner usually consist of some bbq, usually ribs or chicken, some potato casserole or baked mac n cheese, and some greenery: Snap beans, Broccoli or Asparagus. With a cheese sauce over it. Desert, usually strawberry short cake. ( not done on a pound cake or angel food cake, but made from a sweet biscuit.) In the evening , of COURSE we watch the 10 commandments. Who doesn't watch Charlton Heston vs Yul Brenner in one of the greatest rivalries of good vs evil? It's like watching Michigan vs Ohio, or BYU vs U of U (that one was for you, Michael.)
I've come to love the simplicity of Easter around my humble place. As the season moves us quietly into spring and new beginnings. The earth is starting to awake and liven up from winters hibernation and kick off into full bloom. It's the perfect time for us to guide our spirit to do the same thing.... renew and rebirth those things in our life that bring us into his marvelous light.

My your Easter spark in you the rekindling of the Light of Christ in your lives.