Easter, whether you're a practicing Christian or not, can be a fun holiday to celebrate. Spring festivals, egg hunts, baskets full of candy and the food -- oh the food.
Some years, you may have everything ready weeks in advance. Other years, you might be visiting with family and eating a feast Grandma made.
This year, you're at home. Just your immediate family, perhaps without your service member.
Maybe your three-year-old just discovered Easter egg hunts and repeatedly asks you to hide eggs. Maybe your tweens finally hit the "I'm bored" portion of this stay-at-home life because it's also Spring Break. Maybe you are struggling with how to make this weekend look different from the last few days and resemble some sort of something worth celebrating.
Here are 15 ideas on how to celebrate Easter at home this year. Sacred and secular. Easy and intricate. And all of them perfect for the last-minute realization that you don't have it all together.
1. Scavenger Hunt. If you didn't have a chance to get plastic eggs this year and don't make a habit of keeping them, you can plan an Easter-inspired scavenger hunt for the entire family. Use your creativity and force the family to work together to find the next clue. If you have baskets, they can be the final prize.
2. Movie Marathon. So many movies are available to watch, for all age categories. For the littles, "Up with Bunnies" from "Veggie Tales" is fun -- but the song will be stuck in your head for weeks. You can marathon anything, including the "Hunger Games" movies, Marvel movies or any of your favorites.
3. Dress Up. If you're bummed about not wearing the matching Easter clothes you bought earlier this year, do it anyway. Get all dressed up, take pictures and enjoy yourselves.
4. Coloring Contest. Everyone can enjoy a little coloring time. Get a free printable of designed eggs to color, or design your own. If you're a brave parent, you may even give your kids markers or paint to really be creative. Or grab some chalk and bring the coloring contest to the driveway.
5. Bake-Off. Bring "The Great British Baking Show" to your kitchen and whip up something wonderful. Divide cupcake batter in half or thirds, and make it a true competition. Or if you'd prefer to follow directions, try these homemade resurrection rolls, if you have marshmallows.
6. Picnic Lunch. Take your Easter lunch outside and make it a picnic. Dress up the picnic table or spread a blanket out on the lawn. Resist the temptation to stress over this; sandwiches or walking tacos are great options that you know everyone in the family will enjoy.
7. Make Sock Bunnies. Crafting is not for everyone, but this craft is pretty doable. It requires no sewing and minimal materials. All you'll need is a sock, twine, ribbon and rice to make these. It even appeals to my no-mess, minimal arts and crafts parenting style.
8. Pajama Day for Church. If you're planning to watch church online, take advantage of the opportunity to wear your pajamas for the day. Grab your coffee or chocolate milk, put your feet up and enjoy "being" with your church family for the day.
9. Video Chat with Family. Holidays are a great time to video chat with family, and this year you should have nothing that conflicts on your calendar. You can even combine a video chat with Grandma or Grandpa with your scavenger hunt or bake-off.
10. Make Easter Cards. You may think it's too late to make cards for Easter. Nope. Make them! Mail them late. Leave them on the neighbors' front porch. Save them for next year, if you're one of those who is organized enough to remember where you put them.
11. Do the Passion Workout of the Day (WOD). Not everyone is into working out on the weekends, but for those who are, the Passion WOD from Faith Rxd is a great option. This year, they have an at-home option for those who don't have a robust garage gym. Check it out, and share your photos to their social media.
12. Take a Family Walk. Get out into nature with your family. If hiking trails are open, head out for the day. If not, walk through the neighborhood and spend quality time together.
13. Make Lego Mosaics. Legos are fun for all ages, and these cute Lego mosaics are really fun. Gather all your random legos and see how many you can make. There are several designs, outside of these Easter ones, so if you find you like the idea, you can keep going!
14. Do a Puzzle. Puzzles are all the rage right now, and they provide good family times. Set one up and see how often people get pulled back to it. You can do this while watching a movie or while one person cooks dinner. It quickly becomes the center of the house.
15. Fold Napkins into Bunnies. You may not be Martha Stewart, but you can pretend this weekend. Grab some cloth napkins (or fabric), and try your hand at the bunny fold. See who can fold the best napkin.
No matter how you decide to spend this weekend, make memories as a family and enjoy the time you have together. Though the situation is less than ideal, military families are pretty good at finding the silver lining.
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--Rebecca Alwine can be reached at rebecca.alwine@monster.com. Follow her on Twitter @rebecca_alwine.
