By Anne Metz
Looking to make your at-home Easter feel special? Just because you may be watching Easter Mass at home and skipping the big extended family dinner doesn’t mean you can’t have a meaningful, celebratory day at home!
The most important part of Easter is celebrating the Resurrection of our Lord at Mass! You can still make virtual Mass feel as special as if it were in person. Here’s how:
Add Some Flowers
One of my favorite things about walking into church on Easter Sunday is seeing the transformation from the bare decor of Lent to the beautifully decorated Easter church. The scent of flowers hits my nose before I even see the altar absolutely filled with spring blooms. Seeing all those flowers after a long winter and a long Lent just makes my heart soar.
Re-create this feeling in your home for your livestream Sunday Mass. Make a trip to the store to purchase flowers to decorate your home on Easter morning, or head out to your own backyard to snip some of your own blooms. Arrange the flowers in front of the tv or computer, wherever you watch Mass, and enjoy the beauty and lovely scent during Easter Mass.
Remember, white is the color of the Easter season, so you can incorporate this into your decorating. That can be as simple as adding a white cloth to your mantle or using a white tablecloth for dinner.
Put On Your Finest
Did you know it’s a tradition among Catholics to purchase new clothes for Easter? Our putting on new clothes symbolizes putting on our new life with Christ. So you see, it isn’t just to show off our beautiful families at church and parties. Keep the tradition going this year, even though you’ll be at home. Taking the time to dress for Easter Sunday will set the tone of the importance of the day!
Set a Nice Table
Just like you would if you were having a whole crew of people over, take some time to make a nice dinner (or order one!) and set a beautiful table. Use the fancy dishes! Put out a centerpiece! We are celebrating Jesus’ resurrection, not showing off our finest for guests. There is still a good reason to have a fancy dinner today.
Fill Your Home with Music
Turn on some music to set a joyful tone on Easter! Tune into a Christian radio station or pull one up on Pandora or Spotify and let worship music fill your home. Or, create a playlist of your favorite church hymns to listen to throughout the day.
Read About It
Read the Resurrection story today. If you have older kids, pull out your Bible and take turns reading the passages. For younger kids, grab a story book or a children’s Bible that tells the story and read it out loud to them.
Break Your Fast with Chocolate
Break your Lenten fast by hunting for Easter eggs filled with candy. Or send your kids on a scavenger hunt to find their Easter baskets. As Catholics we are just beginning our celebration of the Easter season and we are in party mode! So break out the chocolate for children and adults alike!
Plan Some Fun Activities
Plan some fun crafts and activities to do after Easter Mass. For young kids, print out Easter-themed coloring pages or activity sheets. Save your egg dyeing kit for Easter Sunday for another fun activity to do.
Take some time leading up to Easter Sunday to prepare, so that you can transform your house into a place that feels celebratory and special. You can make your at-home Easter fun, meaningful, and memorable.
