Do You Celebrate Easter, Resurrection or Both?

First of all, let’s be clear: Easter and Resurrection are two different celebrations.

One is the celebration of fertility and the other the celebration of God’s eternal, resurrected life that Christ died for us to obtain. The name “Easter” has its roots in ancient polytheistic religions (paganism). On this, all scholars agree. This name is never used in the original Scriptures, nor is it ever associated biblically with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

I was raised Catholic, I went to Catholic school for my early education and completed catechism. However, when I was a kid we celebrated Easter, complete with colored eggs, chocolate Easter bunnies, pretty dresses and church service. In my childhood memories Easter was always about getting pretty, having egg hunts and candy along with a picnic style dinner and lots of family.

When I became an adult with my own children B.C. (Before Christ) I did the same thing with the exception of church.  

I ex-ed church out all together because my then husband and I did not go to church though we believed in God. It was mainly about celebrating with family, having egg hunts and getting the kids dressed up for the party, and or course the big Easter baskets I made or them. It was more like a celebration of spring. Very fun.

After I was born-again I changed the way I celebrated Easter and all the other holidays, and the way I allowed my kids to celebrate them.

After being born-again those same holidays held so much more meaning to me in light of my salvation and my Savior. My kids weren’t allowed to get dressed up for Halloween. We gave out candy instead, after we carefully taped salvation tracts to each piece. Of course we watched movies, ate our own candy and had a good time while passing out candy to trick-or-treaters. Thanksgiving became about giving thanks, and for Christmas we decidedly focused on Jesus, though there were still plenty of gifts to go around and food too.

I felt like it was better for them to understand the truth about Jesus then to let them ignorantly celebrate holidays in ways the world designed. My kids now say I robbed them of the childhood fun by taking away Halloween. Of course, this is only because as they got up in years they got invited to Halloween parties they couldn’t go to and saw other kids dress up at school.

Now that my children or young adults that come home for the holidays, we still celebrate the holidays the same way: in truth.

If you have young children it won’t hurt them to know Santa Clause is a fiction character and that there is no Easter bunny.

Christian stores all over the country sale Resurrection Day candy, toys and all the things needed to replace the stuff that goes in the baskets. That’s how I celebrated with my kids. I did not take the fun away. They over-exaggerate when they say I robbed them of their childhood. LOL.

Going deeper with Jesus means worshiping Him in truth.

He said so Himself, “The hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him,” (John 4:23). So what if later on your kids say you ruined the childhood. Changing the way you celebrate the holidays likely will not ruin their childhood. And, no, you won’t likely go to hell for celebrating Easter or having Easter bunnies and eggs either, as long as you don’t worship them. But sometimes it’s nice to take the fluff away and celebrate Jesus in a deeper, purer, more meaningful way.

Please share, I’d love to hear how you celebrate this and other holidays.