How to uphold Easter traditions whilst stuck at home

There are plenty of ways to keep the traditional Easter fun going to help your family beat the isolation blues.

• Easy Easter baking treats for the whole family
• Easy activities for an egg-cellent Easter

Easter Sunday will be different this year, so infuse it with as many familiar flavours, activities and loved ones as possible.

Whether your family loves the kitchen or is happy snuggling on the couch with a movie, these Easter activities will restore the joy of the holiday, despite these difficult and uncertain times.

HOST AN EASTER EGG HUNT

Corona-related restrictions shouldn’t ruin a beloved Easter tradition.

If you usually do a community egg hunt with friends or neighbours, include them virtually this year.

Have a grown-up from each household hide eggs in the backyard or around the house.

Then have families book a video chat and take a tour to see who can spot the eggs.

Kids will be thrilled seeing other children searching for eggs at the same time.

Or hide some eggs and take a panoramic photo, then circulate to family members and see who finds the most.

Similar to bear hunting, print out and decorate a paper egg and place it on the mailbox, outside the house or in a window, so that kids find them when walking the neighbourhood with their parents.

If it’s chilly outside, have an indoor Easter egg hunt.

Simply hide eggs in the washing machine, under the bed and in cabinets and bookshelves.

You can still have an Easter egg hunt – in and or outside your home.

MAKE EASY HOLIDAY TREATS

Simple and speedy recipes are a sweet way to celebrate Easter with the kids.

Gather some goodies and create an Insta-worthy Easter milkshake.

Using a chocolate bunny, remove the top ears and fill the inside with your favourite milkshake blend, topped with whipped cream and 100s and 1000s.

With a little imagination and eyeball lollies, you can dress up an Easter egg to look like a chocolatey chick, or make a bunny face by dipping an arrowroot biscuit in chocolate and using treats to add detail — M&Ms for eyes, licorice strips for whiskers and mini-marshmallows for ears and teeth.

For outdoor fun, make a homemade papier mache pinata and fill it with chocolate eggs and jelly beans. Hang it in the backyard, call out the kids and take cover.

Time with family is a great gift at Easter.

STREAM EASTER MASS

If church is part of your family’s Easter tradition, you can attend Sunday morning service from the comfort of your home.

Though many physical churches have closed their doors to comply with social distancing, services are still happening via livestream platforms like Facebook Live and on church websites.

Broadcasts from around the country are open to all.

Catholics can watch Easter Sunday services live from Sydney’s St Mary’s Cathedral from 10.30am on Channel 7.

Hillsong is streaming church services on its website throughout the day between 8am and 9pm. Contact your local community church to ask if they plan to stream a service or if they can recommend one.

While there’s certainly no replacing your own church choir, a well-curated Spotify playlist of Easter tunes will amplify the joy.

With apps like FaceTime, Google Hangouts and Zoom, it’s never been easier to organise a virtual Bible reading with loved ones. You can even dress up.

WATCH AN EASTER FILM

Whether you favour fun with a film like Jesus Christ Superstar or Hop, or opt for deeper fare like The Passion Of The Christ, The Robe or Ben-Hur, an Easter screening is a safe, enjoyable way to acknowledge Easter.

There are heaps of great family options on TV and services like Foxtel, Netflix and Disney+ emphasise the feeling of the season with favourites like Zootopia, Peter Rabbit to Rise Of The Guardians — all perfect for a lazy Easter Sunday.

Whatever you do this Easter, time with family is a great gift.

Originally published as How to uphold Easter traditions whilst stuck at home