Ideas for Simplifying the Easter Celebration

When you think about the significance of the Lenten and Easter seasons, you realize what a pity it is that this glorious time has been exploited commercially. Sellers of greeting cards, flowers, candy, and gifts have tried to turn Easter into another Christmas. How sad that such a sacred holiday should become just another avenue for consumerism!

If you want to simplify and enrich your Easter celebration, consider these ideas that focus on replacing the commercial aspects of the holiday with activities that are more in keeping with the spirit of the season.

• Rather than the traditional Easter decorations with images of bunnies, chicks and eggs, make your own decorations using symbols of your faith. Images of Jesus, the cross and the empty tomb all depict the true meaning of the Easter celebration.

• Make your own greeting cards with messages that proclaim the wonderful news of Jesus’ Resurrection. Use your computer’s desktop publishing program or crayons, markers and construction paper to make Easter cards for friends and relatives.

• If you do buy gifts for the children in your family, stick with a spiritual rather than secular theme. Consider giving coloring books, bookmarks, stickers and toys that convey the Easter message. Check Christian bookstores for these kinds of gifts.

• If you choose to use flowers as part of your celebration, keep arrangements simple. A modest corsage or arrangement of flowers from your own garden makes a much clearer statement of your values than an expensive purchase from the floral shop.

• Instead of spending a great deal of money on chocolate and other prepackaged candy, make homemade cookies and other sweets to be enjoyed as part of the holiday. Search the Internet for recipes that teach lessons about the Resurrection.

• If receiving new clothes is part of your family tradition, consider sewing them by hand. If making an outfit is too big of an undertaking, consider making one special accessory like a hair bow, tie, sash or piece of simple jewelry to adorn an outfit you already have.

• Rather than serving an elaborate meal with all the trimmings, consider serving a modest meal and donating the extra money you would have spent to an organization that feeds the hungry.

These creative ideas plus hundreds more can be found in Celebrate Simply: Your Guide to Simpler, More Meaningful Holidays and Special Occasions. You’ll also find page after page of practical tips for reducing holiday stress and expense and increasing spiritual significance of celebrations. To order, visit our order page or order through Amazon.com