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Money Saving Tips
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Parties and Holidays |
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Celebrating Easter Without Spending Like Crazy
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| Even the shortest winter seems too long, and when the first days
of sunny March burst out of the grey muck of February, spirits raise
and the kids can’t wait to ditch the big coats and sweaters. |
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| While some adults might hope Easter’s promise is more about
faith renewal than short sleeves and a chocolate feeding frenzy, no
one can deny the appeal of the sunshine and the colourful array of
candy bunnies hopping through store windows. Whether we are very
religious, or totally agnostic, most of us experience a spiritual
uplifting from the most sacred holiday of the year. |
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| This springtime, consider shirking the barrage of consumerism in
favour of a few special traditions. Save money, and teach your kids
that spending and consuming does not equal happiness. This doesn’t
mean you all have to go without chocolate and skip the Easter feast.
On the contrary, a home- cooked meal with your favourite relatives
should be the centrepiece of Easter weekend. But why not commit to
telling your kids the truth about spring- to honour our earth by
foregoing all that unnecessary plastic junk and paper waste. What to
do instead? |
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| Make art. For thousands of years, creating one’s own imagery has
always been the solution until mass-production came around. While we
welcome the printing press and new technology, creating for
ourselves has always been what defines us as human. Forget
decorations made in China, and ask your kids to design their own
Easter cards and ornaments with recycled materials. |
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| Spring cleaning. It might take some creativity to turn chores
into a fun annual event, but the cathartic relief and renewal that
comes from fresh, organized space should belong to the whole family,
not just Mom and Dad. Set a date each year and make it a tradition.
This is your chance to donate unused items; to put broken toys in a
box so they can be fixed; to get the cobwebs off of the ceiling and
let the sunshine in. Let the kids pick loud music and celebrate
after with their favourite food. |
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| Easter egg hunt. Kids never tire of hide and go seek. Have the
whole family together for painting and decorating eggs, and then let
the older children hide a few dozen eggs to make an exciting
scavenger hunt for the smaller ones. Outdoors is best- in case any
eggs get missed! An egg hunt on a massive scale can be an annual
tradition for all of the relatives if one of you has a large
property near a lake or woods, or a farm. |
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| Baking. Instead of buying cheap, noxious sugar bombs laden with
chemicals you can’t pronounce, bake treats at home. Here’s your
chance to teach the kids how to cook, and let them get messy and
have fun in the kitchen. Make traditional Easter breads, or simple
and classic chocolate chip cookies. Don’t be shy about explaining
why you don’t want to spend money on toxic candies. Kids deserve to
know that most commercial candy is poisonous, not just that it’s
usually forbidden. Providing sweet alternatives at home means they
don’t feel ripped off. |
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| Faith. Your kids might find church boring, so use your
imagination to make the stories come alive outside of the droning
message of the reverend. It’s hard to sit still with adults, though
children often like holiday church most because there is more music,
and decorations to look at. Plus, and they get to wear special
outfits! But if you’re not sure they’re paying attention during the
sermon, don’t worry too much. Find ways to bring the message home.
Ask each child to come up with something related to the Easter
story. Maybe one child could read the Bible passage and another can
bring an illustration. The third can offer explanations for the
meaning of Easter, and one can do a brief report on the history of
the holiday. Remember kids like to be involved. Find ways to let
them participate in the occasions you believe are most important.
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| Eat. The annual Easter feast is too often an occasion of stress
instead of excitement. It’s all very fine and good to talk about
God’s gift of love to the world, only to spend the whole meal
hollering. Take a deep breath and commit to happy clatter and shared
foods. Be thankful and express your gratitude so your kids can
emulate it. Invite kids who don’t celebrate Easter or a family who
can’t afford a feast. Bring relatives who don’t get out much over to
share, and let your kids know that abundance means giving, not
hoarding up piles of junk that will only get ditched next spring
cleaning. |
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| Happy Easter! |
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Click here for amazing Easter books for kids. |
