Every year, I look forward to coming home for Easter. I love seeing my family, and even though I’m in my 20’s, my mom stays in cahoots with the Easter Bunny so I have a basket waiting for me. This year, I hate that I can’t go home due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and I know that many people around the world are mourning their Easter plans with me. However, no matter where you’re quarantining, there are plenty of Easter traditions that you can still partake in. Here are six ideas to try:
1. Exchange Easter baskets.
I live with my boyfriend, and since we can’t go home to get our coveted Easter candy, we’ve decided to do our own basket exchange on Easter morning. We live in a one-bedroom apartment and are both acutely aware that we each prepared a basket for our partner and hid it somewhere safe. Thanks to our Easter baskets, we’ve created a lot of excitement for this Sunday. If you don’t have roommates or a significant other living with you to make an Easter basket for, you can always ship one to someone you love.
Since Easter is under a week away, it might be too risky to order Easter baskets online. Instead, I recommend that you take advantage of grocery delivery services or see if any stores near you offer drive-up-and-go options.
2. Call or video chat with your loved ones.
Just because you can’t get together in person for Easter this year doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t take time to connect with your loved ones. Easter is a great day to call or video chat the people who you’d normally spend the holiday with. For instance, my mom and I plan to coordinate the timing of our Easter dinners so that we can FaceTime while we enjoy our meals.
3. Make your favorite Easter foods.
Cooking is a great way to keep yourself busy while social distancing, so there’s no reason not to make your favorite Easter foods this year. Crack open a cookbook and start preparing your holiday menu!
Grocery stores are still open and sell essential items, including all of the ingredients you could possibly need to cook or bake your Easter favorites. If cooking isn’t your style, many restaurants plan to prepare takeout Easter dinners because of the pandemic. If you have a favorite entree or dessert that you look forward to each year, don’t disappoint your taste buds!
4. Dye and hunt for Easter eggs.
Easter eggs are a huge part of Easter, especially for the little ones, and there’s no reason why you shouldn’t dye some this year. Bring home an egg-dyeing kit, and have a blast decorating eggs in your kitchen. You can compete to see who uses the coolest colors or chooses the best designs. When your eggs have dried, have a private Easter egg hunt for the people in your household. Get creative with indoor hiding spots or, if you have a backyard, take the hunt outside.
5. Decorate and dress up.
If you normally decorate your home in spring colors in honor of Easter or show up to your Easter party rocking bunny ears, do it anyway. There’s an old superstition that wearing new clothes on Easter means that you’ll have good luck for the rest of the year, and the world could definitely use some luck right now. Putting up fun decorations or trying a new outfit could lift your spirits – and make for some excellent social media posts during the pandemic.
6. Livestream services or specials.
Many families only go to church on Easter, so not being able to leave the house could put a damper on the Easter mood. But luckily, plenty of Easter services, including the Pope’s, will be available to watch on television or livestream on the Internet.
If you aren’t religious, you can still watch the annual Easter TV specials to make the most out of your Easter. My personal favorite is “It’s the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown,” which major outlets typically air on Easter.
Although this Easter may not turn out the way that we expect, we shouldn’t succumb to our disappointment. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, we can choose to make the best of our circumstances and enjoy a pleasant Easter. You might even make some new Easter traditions this year that you’ll keep for years to come!
Featured Photo by JESHOOTS.COM on Unsplash.
I fell very uneasy and bored on home Quarantine.