Easter Tradition??

Easter.  It means many different things to many people.  It is a time to celebrate Jesus' sacrifice for us, a time to spend time with family, a time for springtime activities like egg coloring and...the Easter Basket.  As a child that was not raised in a Christian home till later in my kid years, the Easter Basket along with what the Easter Bunny brought was just as fun as waiting for what Santa brought in my stocking.  Now that I am a Christian Parent, I struggle with how much the secular traditions should creep into how we celebrate Easter and Christmas. 

See those baskets above?  Love them like a Christmas Stocking.  I love spring colored baskets, love watching my kids hunt for eggs, love the way the match with their Easter clothes, love the candy inside them...Need I go on?  But is it a focus of the day?  No.  Our kids get meager things in their baskets.  The usual plastic eggs with candy, sometimes a chocolate cross from our local candy store, and books from the Christian book store.  Yes, books.  Books about Easter, chapter books, devotionals, card games.  Thankfully, grandma and grandpa are on board with this too.  The longer I have become a parent, the more I focus on Jesus and less I focus on commercialism.  Is there a balance?  Of course!  My kids learn the most important reason for Easter (Jesus) which really should be celebrated all year long and they can run around later looking for eggs over, and over, and over again.

Last,  I want to share one of my favorite Easter books.  A board book titled, My Easter Basket and The True Story of Easter by Mary Manz Simon.  She uses glittery pictures of items found in the basket and tied them to Jesus' life, death and resurrection.  There is a similar one about Christmas Trees too.  Simple and to the point.  Love it.

PS Check out last week's post with our Easter craft!