The New and Improved Easter

I am not sure what traditions you have for Easter but for us they are, of course, geared toward the children. DeeAnn always creates wonderful baskets full of fun things, and this year was the first that little Ethan could really participate in coloring and hunting eggs. Early Sunday morning DeeAnn was lying on the couch with Camden when suddenly Gavin appeared and quietly crept over to the baskets. Surprisingly he had forgotten about baskets, so when they caught his eye he approached them with the kind of disbelief you may experience when happening upon an oasis in the middle of an sun baked desert. He hovered around looking at each item but never touching them. He then went back up stairs to his room, only to return a short time later to inspect the goodies once more. This happened several times, all the while thinking DeeAnn was asleep on the couch. He did, finally, busy himself with the project that had originally brought him down stairs. DeeAnn did not wait long before she called him over to observe the huge smile on his face and give him permission to wake-up the house.

It seems strange that on the two most important celebrations for Christians we give gifts and create meaningless anticipation for children. Why don’t we give gifts on the fourth of July or at least Thanksgiving (the name itself merits gifts)? Perhaps I will start that tradition in our family on Thanksgiving. I can almost hear the applause from all the retail outlets as they acknowledge me for greater consumption during the holiday season.

We have always tried to focus on the true meaning of holidays, yet sometimes you feel so detached from its meaning you wonder if it really matters that you celebrate. Can you imagine in 500 years our nation celebrating September 11th with a special meal, perhaps pork, followed by fun games for the kids that have nothing to do with the event, then gifts to be opened by all. It seems rather absurd but not much different than other holidays. I realize September 11th is a day of despair for so many people, not one of celebration such as the birth or resurrection of Christ, but the motions and festivals that surround these celebrations seem just as misplaced.

Easter really is a pretty powerful day to remember, and yet it does not seem to get nearly the same star power as Christmas. Not to bring in the old chicken and egg thing but Christ’s birth was not nearly as important as His resurrection. It does start a week before with Palm Sunday and of course Good Friday but for some reason it simply does not have the same momentum as Christmas.

Perhaps it is my own fault in that I am driven by what I see around me. The more excitement from others the more enthusiastic I become. Therefore, I bow to the pressures of consumerism and place value depending on the intensity of others. And yet, that is what bothers me.

Perhaps that is the beauty of Easter Sunday. Let the rest of the world focus on selling His birth while we learn to quietly celebrate His life and resurrection.