2 fun Easter traditions // The Tradition Series

Easter was a breath of fresh air for me. Really, anytime we take the long trek up to Northern California to spend time with my family is a lovely retreat. Everything is so green this time of year, flowers are blooming and the air smells so sweet and fragrant. We took a bike ride one day to visit some friends and family, and I just couldn't stop smiling. 

I thought I'd share 2 traditions that my families celebrates during Easter. Maybe you do these too? Here they are:

Easter Basket Scavenger Hunt

Every year on Easter morning, my dad stages a huge scavenger hunt for us "kids" to find our Easter baskets. "Kids" is totally a stretch as all of us 4 siblings are now in our 20's or 30's, whoops! I think it's time one of us starts having grandkids, as my parents "remind" me often:)

My dad writes out about 8 clues to hide around the house. When all 4 of us are awake, he puts the first clue on the table. Sometimes the clues are easy and we run straight towards the hiding spot {yes, we really do run, we get so giddy, even now that we are older!!}. Other times the clues are harder, and we check out a few spots before we find the clue. Examples of dad's past clues include phrases like "There is a herd of horses in this home" {which ended up being a grouping of orange Swedish Dahla horses my mom kept on a shelf...a subtle tribute to our Swedish heritage!}. Another clue this year was "The word of God illuminates" {where the clue was hidden under a candle}.

Be creative with your clues, and your kids will have so much fun {regardless of their age! guilty as charged! haha}. For us, the hunt is so nostalgic and brings my siblings and I together in such a fun way!

Resurrection Eggs 
Every Easter, just before we pray to eat our big lunch, my mom pulls out a crate of resurrection eggs. These are a dozen plastic eggs that have been numbered. Inside each egg is a verse from the Easter story, and a little prop that goes along with the verse. For instance, one verse talks about Judas betraying Jesus for silver coins, and the prop is 3 silver dimes. Another egg has a verse about how the tomb was open, and has a round rock in it to depict the stone at the entrance of the tomb. The last verse talks about how Jesus wasn't in the tomb...He has risen! {and that egg is empty!!!}.
Someone passes out the eggs, and we stand in a circle, and each read our egg in the order of the numbers. It's a really powerful reminder of what Jesus did for us on the cross! In case you are interested in making your own resurrection eggs, I've seen tutorials here and here!
This is a powerful and interactive way your children and family members can encounter the Easter story!! I hope you'll give it a shot!!

I hope you enjoyed these traditions!! Want to see more traditions? Just type "Traditions" into the search bar on the side of my blog, and a bunch will pop up!!

And for those of you wondering where all the travels posts are...make sure to come back next week!! Lots of travel pictures from Columbia will be up on the blog! Happy week!!