How to Celebrate the Easter Season with Your Family

Want to keep celebrating the whole Easter season—even now that chocolate is on clearance?

Here are ideas for living out the 50 days of Easter with your family.

Get up early and watch the sunrise. Then cook breakfast together and read the story of Jesus serving a morning meal for his friends on the beach (John 21).

Visit a park with your kids and notice signs of the seasons changing. Give thanks to God for the beauty of nature and the resilience of creation.

Light a white candle on your dinner table. Pray in a special way for all who might be finding it hard to celebrate during this season of joy, who need extra light in their present darkness.

Talk a walk with your family. When you get home, read the story of the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35) and reflect on the disciples’ discovery together.

Sing Alleluias. Add extras to your grace before meals. Listen to favorite music during quiet times together, or put on music you love in the car as you drive together.

Do spring cleaning with others in mind. Work with your kids to sort through clothes, toys, books, or games to give away. Reflect on Acts 2:43-47 to remember how the early Christians shared with each other so that no one was in need.

Plant a garden together. Read the parable of the sower and the seed (Matthew 13). Remember how seedlings are a sign of hope in a world that sorely needs it.

Read Easter books with your kids. Check out a few favorites here or request them from your local library. You’ve got 50 full days to keep enjoying good reads!

Bake bread together. Savor the smell of freshly baked bread filling the house and read the parable of Luke 13:20-21 about a woman baking to feed her whole neighborhood.

Set Sundays apart. Brainstorm ways to make Sunday feel special: visit a park together, take a longer walk, bake a special dessert, or let yourself nap on the day of rest.

Feast in community. Share dinner with family or friends. Invite someone from your church to join you for coffee. Treat your kids to ice cream sundaes on Sunday.

Dye eggs again on Pentecost or have another at-home egg hunt in your backyard or living room (grab an extra egg dye kit on sale for next year!). Stretch out the season of Easter till the end.

Keep living out all 50 days of Easter with Risen: 50 Ways to Live Easter, a devotional with Scripture, prayers, reflections, and creative ideas to use by yourself or with your family. Learn more here!

What else would you add?

A version of this post originally appeared as a column for Catholic News Service.
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