Easter will be a strange one this year. We’re in a weird time of social distancing. I call it physical distancing, which I got from James Corden. In some ways, we are more social than ever. Lately I have been on FaceTime with my sisters almost everyday. We’ve never been in touch as much as we are now.
This year, it’s important to keep some of the special traditions and make the holiday as normal as possible for young kids. But it’s also a good time to start some new fun or just quirky and odd traditions. Those are the ones they’ll remember.
If you’re a fan of the show This is Us, you’ll know that the Pearsons always have hot dogs rolled in cheese and cracker crumbs and watch one of the Police Academy movies on Thanksgiving because of one disastrous Thanksgiving experience.
We all remember the scene in A Christmas Story when Ralphie and his family had duck at a Chinese restaurant for Christmas dinner because the Bumpass’ mangy dogs barged in and ate the turkey.
So maybe this will be the year you have tuna salad and ice cream for Easter because you’re taking the stay-at-home orders very seriously and that’s all you have in your fridge or freezer.
Here are six ideas to make your Easter at home a special one for your family this year.
#1 - Have a backyard Easter egg hunt
Even if you can’t go out to your local park with your kids for an uber competitive egg hunt, you can still do one at home. Fill plastic eggs with candy, coins, little toys and scatter them in the yard for the kids to find.
#2 - Play a fun game
I’ll share a favorite game our family has played over the years that is a hit with young kids. My brother, Mark, came up with it way back in the 70s or 80s. It’s called the question/answer game. All you need is some small slips of paper and a pen and two bowls.
Think up some questions - they can be super basic, or funny or related to current events or pop culture or whatever. It could be as simple as “What Color Is the Sky?” for your question and “Blue” for your answer. You put all the questions in one bowl and the answers in another bowl. Then you draw one of each. The answers rarely match up and you end up with some comical answers. If you have plastic eggs, put your questions and answers in eggs.
#3 - Find a church that is streaming services
Going to church as a family is a big Easter tradition for a lot of people. If your church isn’t streaming services, find one that is. Start by looking for other local churches.
Holy Name Cathedral is streaming several services this week. They streamed a Holy Thursday mass, are having nightly 6 p.m. interactive prayer times on Zoom and are streaming on Easter starting at 6 a.m.
#4 - Do an Easter Family Photo Shoot
Since you can’t get to a studio or meet up with your favorite photographer, plan a DIY photo shoot. Either dress everyone up as you normally would or take the opportunity to do a silly shoot. Get everyone in their sweatpants and put on homemade masks (or photoshop them in) and hold baskets with toilet paper and Lysol in them and cue the sad faces.
Outdoor light is great for beginners - no need to use a flash. Find a backdrop in your yard or somewhere nearby where there’s green your background. Also, try out the portrait mode on your iPhone. You’d be surprised and what good pics you can get.
#5 - Pick up Easter dinner from a local restaurant
It’s been a rough time for restaurants. If ever there was a time to splurge on a catered holiday meal, this is it. With the absence of dining room traffic, a lot of restaurants are struggling. Support them with your order and take the day off from cooking. Most places can do contact-free curbside pick-up. Pay online or by phone and when you get there, just pop your trunk. Find a list of Chicago and suburban restaurants offering Easter carry-out here.
#6 - Decorate the Easter table
Kids love to have some responsibility when it comes to holiday celebrations. Put them in charge of decorating. They can print off free coloring pages to decorate the house or make placemats and draw bunnies and eggs. Add some decorated eggs and make a centerpiece out of them. They can also make place cards and learn how to set a formal table so they know where the silverware, glassware and napkin go.
