Christ-centered Scavenger Hunt and Other Easter Traditions

Childhood Memories

I grew up hunting for Easter eggs with my fellow Sunday school students or sometimes at a cousin's house, but we didn't really get visits from the Easter Bunny. I don't feel deprived now and I didn't then. Instead of looking forward to getting a fancy new dress or more candy than I could eat (which only sometimes happened in the spring of my childhood, to me Easter meant a time to gather with family and friends in gratitude for the new beginnings given to us by Christ.

2018 annual Easter egg hunt at a CT park with friends

2017 Easter egg hunt in Indianapolis
with Hansen cousins & their friends

Helping younger cousins serve as
we all learned a fun new skill

                                                                         Traditions Then and Now

One of the best things about new beginnings is review what we know and learning something new, whether that's a scripture story or a skill like napkin folding and setting the table! This gratifying, emerging tradition is one I hope to continue for years to come and not limit to Easter celebrations alone.

Now that I am a mother myself and given that we often are away from home on Easter in order to be with family, I have been more mindful than ever of the traditions that keep this holiday special for me and my family. We have loved participating in a wide variety of Easter egg hunts and potluck feasts over the past few years. Recently, Victoria gets a small basket with maybe 4 eggs filled with candy, but there's a scriptural scavenger hunt to find it. Last year's clues were based on different names of the Savior and where they might be found in our home: Bread of Life, Living Water, etc. Below are this year's clues.

1. Mary poured this on Jesus’s feet. He said she was anointing Him for His burial. (John 12:2-8) Where does Mommy keep hers?


2. People ______ palm branches and laid them in the streets when Jesus entered Jerusalem. (Matthew 21:1-11) Where do we see Daddy wave?


3. As part of the very first sacrament Jesus broke this, blessed it, and then shared it with His disciples. (Matthew 26:26) Where do we keep ours?


4. Some of the Pharisees paid Judas Iscariot ______ to betray Jesus. (Matthew 26:14-15) Where does Victoria keep hers?


5. The Roman soldiers made a _______ of thorns and pressed it onto Jesus’s head. (John 19:2) Where does Victoria keep hers?


6. The soldiers gave Jesus this to drink on the cross as a medicine. (John 20:1) Where do we keep ours?


7. The marks caused by these helped Thomas identify the resurrected Jesus. (John 20:25) Where does Daddy keep his?


8. ______ were used to prepare Jesus for burial. (John 19:40) Where does Mommy keep hers?


9. What remained in the tomb after Jesus rose? (John 20:6-7) Where do we keep ours?


Mom's answers/where to hide the clues: Perfume in the bathroom, back/dining room window, bread in the fridge, money in the piggy bank, crowns in the top costume drawer, vinegar under the kitchen sink, nails by/in Dad’s toolbox, spices in the kitchen, and clean sheets in the linen closet

We have also enjoyed making resurrection rolls with friends in Illinois and in Connecticut. We look forward to doing so again this year with a couple of my piano students. I still haven't decided if we'll have a fish and honeycomb dinner for just the three of us or a traditional all-you-can-eat spread and try to invite friends.

What are your favorite traditions, edible and non-edible? I'd love to hear them!

One fun thing we did in Illinois that isn't religious whatsoever is that for several years we enjoyed helping walk and feed the Valencic's bunnies at the Winfield Village park. Oh and it turns out that Victoria isn't a fan of Peeps candy: ha ha!