The recent social distancing guidelines are changing the way church and family celebrate Easter traditions. With no church services, neighborhood Easter egg hunts or extended family meals, many feel like the holy day will be irrevocably different.
But the spiritual significance of Easter isn’t dampened by sheltering at home or being unable to physically attend church. There are plenty of ways to celebrate the spirit of Easter from home. Here are a few ideas:
1. Attend church virtually
Many churches are offering livestreamed services or even allowing congregants to Zoom in for the sermon. Start Sunday morning by participating in a virtual service with everyone in your household.
2. Check in with family
Traveling to visit grandparents or grandkids is inadvisable for most families, but that doesn’t mean you can’t spend some time together. Video chat services like Skype, FaceTime and Zoom make it possible to talk with all of the members of your extended family at once. It’s not the same as having them in the same room, but it’s an easy way to share part of your Easter.
3. Do an indoor Easter egg hunt
If you have kids at home (or even if not!) nothing will bring a smile to their face quite like hunting for Easter eggs. Make sure your plastic eggs are sanitized before hiding them and then leave them scattered throughout the house. Offer a prize for whoever finds the most eggs, or work together as a team to ensure all the eggs are found.
4. Do an Easter craft
Dying eggs, making cards to send to family members or decorating the house are all excellent ways to get crafty and spend quality time together.
5. Make a nice meal
You may not be dressing up to go to church, but you can still have Easter dinner. Sheltering at home might mean lots of quick meals eaten in front of the television or while working. Easter Sunday is a good time to slow down, make a nice meal and eat together.