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!

Spirit Week: A Mom's Guide to at Home Fun

Being the wife of a graduate student means, among other things, that sometimes I am a single parent. To stay strong and sane while Daddy is at a conference (or even when we home bodies are just getting too bored with the usual routine,) we reinvented theme days. Kind of like when schools have crazy fun theme weeks to promote school spirit or have a bit of fun before a holiday break. I did this for the first time almost a year ago and for a whole week. At the end of the week my too-excited-to-sleep daughter asked at bedtime, "What is tomorrow's day?" I had to explain that we wouldn't always have theme days but that these were special holidays we made up, so they had to be planned and scheduled in advance.

Since then the Toddler Princess and I have enjoyed dreaming up all kinds of fun themes. The planning process begins with the selection of a vague-yet-specific theme and a quick look at Pinterest for birthday parties with that sort of theme. It has to be fairly inexpensive, DIY sort of stuff. The general template includes 1) a brief devotional, 2) food and/or drink ideas, 3) possible activities and decorations, as well as 4) book and 5) movie suggestions.

Now, going all out with a theme is fun. But we've also enjoyed successful theme days with minimal planning and effort. Yes, some theme days are specifically inspired by movies or TV shows; some are more generic. Also, most of my ideas are geared for family fun with children ages 3 to maybe 6. Everything presented below is made to be adaptable and inspire you to be that creative mom or dad or babysitter or whatever.

Princess Day (any and all of them)

You can be as specific as you like but this day's theme was easier for us to not choose a specific princess. We define princess to be “a young woman of noble birthright who lives up to the goodness inherent in her and brings out the goodness in others. This goodness is what makes her beautiful.”

Movie suggestions: Faerie Tale Theatre videos by youtuber Oz Bey, A Little Princess, Cinderella (live action)...we'll be watching Beauty and the Beast in French

Morning devotional: What does it mean to be a prince or princess? To be kind and have the courage to be good no matter what. To care for others more than yourself. Read the story of Esther.

Food/snacks: make muffins, slice fruit, and cut sandwiches into dainty triangles for a tea party

Decorations (optional): pennant banners, things from the lives of your favorite princess stories like an enchanted rose

Activities: dress up and dress fittings, build a castle fort, coloring a dragon or making your own fairy tale book, story time, throwing a ball aka dance party

Book suggestions: Rapunzel's Revenge, a graphic novel by Shannon and Dean Hale; The Princess in Black, also by Shannon Hale; Arabian Nights; The Little Prince (for older children)

Ballerina Day

Recently I asked Victoria “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Her most consistent answers have been a mommy and a ballerina. So of course we have to have Ballerina Day! And did you know you can watch an entire ballet on youtube? (Or just your favorite parts if your toddler hasn't been trained to sit through a concert of that length. No time like the present to learn and in the comfort of your own home too!)

Morning devotional: "When thou art merry praise the Lord with song and dance..." D&C somewhere; maybe something from Psalms
Movie suggestions: The Nutcracker on youtube; Sleeping Beauty on youtube; BYU's Swan Lake on youtube (the facial expressions and sincerity of the Prince and Odette are so moving)

Food/snacks: Healthy snacks

Decorations (optional): ballerina silhouettes with snowflakes for tutus

Activities: dance party, watch /do and ballet conditioning work out videos, put on your very own ballet show, dress up, go to the store and try on dance outfits and shoes

Book suggestions: Mia Dances Back to School and other Mia books, Katy Duck books (another easy-to-read series from the library),

Camping Day

Movie suggestions (optional):

Morning devotional: Sing the hymn “How Great Thou Art” or LDS children's song “My Heavenly Father Loves Me.”

Food/snacks: Eat tin foil dinners or roasted hot dogs with mud pie (chocolate cream pie) and/or s'mores for dessert. "Catch of the day" swedish fish, gummy bears, twigs aka pirouette cookie sticks

Decorations (optional): Set up a small tent inside.

Activities: Set up the tent inside. Play card games in the tent like my family did when I was a little girl. Go for a long walk or hike. Go star gazing. Make a map of your house to show certain camping sites aka rooms and be the forest ranger in charge.

Book suggestions: Lady Bug Girl Goes Camping, Going on a Bear Hunt, Fancy Nancy: Poison Ivy Expert

Alladin Day: Dinner-and-a-Movie Party

Sometimes a theme day the way we usually do them—planning far in advance and going all out—is too much work. Maybe Mom has some appointments in the morning or the kids aren't home from school yet? When Mom is running out of ideas or even just running out of steam, we sometimes have these abbreviated theme nights for some low key fun as a family.

Have something Arabian like hummus and chips, apple slices like Aladdin & Jasmine stole from the market, marinated chicken kabobs, Schnuck's orange vineagrette couscous, & falafel. Genie juice to drink (water and a pitcher of labeled lemonade.)

Snack during the movie: Rajah's tail (cheetoes or dipped pretzel rods)

Book suggestions: Arabian Nights, Alladin, anything with a genie in it even!

Other theme days we've done include Trains Day, Pirate Day, Under and Over the Sea Day, Back to the Future Day, and Star Wars Day. 

Theme days we've planned but haven't tried yet: Big Hero 6 Day, My Little Ponies Day, Fairy/Tinkerbelle Day, Jungle Day, Dinosaur Day and Spa Day.

What themes would you like to try? Want to know more about a specific theme day or want help planning (it's becoming a bit more than a hobby for me)? Let me know!

Sukkot: A Mormon Christmas Advent

Why We Celebrate Miracles with 2 Holidays
Many state that unless you're a practicing Jew you should not observe Hanukkah because the whole holiday was founded to strengthen Jewish culture and religious dedication and to purify oneself from worldly influence. Thus being a non-Jew and observing this holiday undermines it very purposes.

So what is my Christian family with no biological ties to Judaism doing celebrating Hanukkah, and as an advent to Christ's birth no less?! Well, I strive to observe this historic holiday with reverence for my God and respect for the people who brought it into existence. We celebrate the legendary history of this Feast of Dedication because of its many spiritual lessons. Saying we're celebrating Sukkot (see Leviticus 23:33-44) the Messianic Jewish way is probably the most accurate explanation. Because I believe in celebrating "anything virtuous, lovely, of good report, or praiseworthy" and I know many of you do as well, I have decide to continue this tradition another year and share with you my testimony as well as some logistics.

Hanukkah's History: The legends are nicer than the facts
While you may not have heard of Sukkot perhaps you have heard of the miracle of the oil burning for 8 days and nights. This special oil took time to be prepared enough to be temple-grade but the Maccabees wanted to keep the eternal flame lit and not wait. So they went forward in faith. So the story goes.

But while researching topics for our nightly devotionals I came across a disappointing story: the miracle is made up! Quoting from one website in summation of several:

Jewish Rabbi Daniel Kohn, in answer to the question, “Is the miracle of Chanukah made up?” stated that the whole concept of the miracle of the oil, was indeed untrue. While stating that the actual lighting of the Menorah for the dedication of the Temple was real and based on spiritual significance, the rabbinic writings in the Talmud took the shift from the Maccabeean military victory to that of a claimed miracle of the oil for the Menorah.

The perceived glory of the Maccabean victory became overshadowed due to all they did that caused harm to fellow Jews and their focus became viewed as dangerous and containing seditious ideas that were to be suppressed. The fear of glorifying the military success of the Maccabeans while under Roman rule, formed the basis for the idea of inventing the story of the miracle of the oil to become the focus and with it, masked the truth about the Maccabees and their shameful legacy for many years. By reinventing the stories, the rabbis kept the holiday alive with a shift in focus and thereby inserted more religious significance.

While I am an ardent defender and cultivator of truth, I find that this not-so-accurate legend still teaches me and my family. So we just tell the story for the legend that it is and glean truths from it that bring us closer to God.

Symbols of the Festival
While we have yet to build a sukkah and we do keep a small Christmas tree (two wrong ways to celebrate Sukkot), I find comfort and familiarity as a Mormon celebrating Hanukkah (which by the way has several acceptable spellings.) I love that the Hanukkiah (also known as the menorah) is a symbol of the tree of life. I love the symbolism of the Shamash candle or the servant candle (the one in the middle which is higher up than the others) being is used to light the other candles from right to left.

While playing dreidel is the closest we'll come in our family to any sort of gambling games, I love the message that is spelled out there. Nun, Gimmel, Hay, and Shin stand for "Nes gadol ha'ya shem" which translates to, "A Great miracle happened there." We hang a small banner proclaim thus over our homemade nativity. Tradition has it that the dreidel game was a cover up to fool the Romans since studying the Torah was forbidden. Our family deeply values studying the scriptures both individually and as a family and we are blessed to do so frequently and regularly. All these symbols tie in well to various themes for nightly devotionals.

Below is our proposed study schedule for the year:

Day #1, Sunday, also the 1st presidency devotional broadcast: the light of creation
Day #2, Monday, potluck dinner with the Meiers and Deckers: the light given to Adam (studying the fall and the sybollism of the Tree of Life)
Day #3, Tuesday: the light of the Messiah (specifically studying the resurrection and Christ as the Shamash)
Day #4, Wednesday: the light of the commandments (studying Psalms 119:9-11)
Day #5, Thursday: study the light of the Restoration and Joseph Smith as the Shamash
Day #6, Friday: the light of the Abrahamic covenant (studying temple covenants)
Day #7, Saturday, potluck dinner with the Savages and Shaws: the light of discipleship (Matt. 5:13-16 and this Ensign article)
Day #8, dinner and Family Home Evening with the YSA branch: Just as the Jews of old purified their temple, we must purify our lives to better shine the light of Christ and prepare for his 2nd coming.

While I'm not sure we'll keep up this tradition another year I know that all our family's traditions are carefully selected to bring us and those around us unto Christ. In the spirit of Hanukkah we share our light with the world. What traditions does your family have? How have they come about?

Annual month of gratitude

Week #1: I am grateful for the temple and that I could start my month out right by serving and worshiping there. Our family is grateful for inexpensive ways to educate and enrich ourselves; Victoria especially loved out visit to the St. Louis science center. Greg is grateful to be a scientist in such a gratifying way and for his wonderful research advisers.

 
Yesterday I was grateful for my husband helping me solve an urgent issue. Today, I am grateful for similar blessings & also the help of email, which allows me to solve many of my problems much more quickly than I otherwise could. I am also grateful for the support I receive in my calling.

I am grateful for my calculus class this week to lend balance in my life and distract me from other parts of my life. I am grateful for a daughter who understands and loves the Atonement even if she and I sometimes don't live the final steps of the repentance process :) And I am grateful that I got to video chat with my sister Elizabeth, who recently completed her service as a full-time missionary in the LDS Seattle Washington mission.

Week #2: I am grateful for a daughter who loves to cook and clean with me. I am grateful for the soothing smell and comforting taste of vanilla. I am grateful for service opportunities; to help my friends and neighbors cheers and brightens my soul. I think it's part of being true to who I am as a daughter of God. I am grateful for a daughter who is learning to discuss her feelings and find ways to appropriately act on them. I am so glad she has learned at a young age the value of being reverent and actually listening at church and at home. (She came home and told me the parable of the good Samaritan after church today and it warmed my heart to find that she is making connections for herself. She gets it but also makes further connections for herself.) I am grateful for a husband who is so supportive of me and values the same things I do: God, family, service, etc.

Week #3: This Wednesday got a blog post all of its own. We've had some amazing highs and lows this week already. I am grateful for a wonderful family and for thoughtful family who do their best to stay in touch. I am also grateful for my little girl's love of cleaning and how she manages to not make big messes even when she takes big adventures (let's just say she helped herself to my nail polish twice this week.)

Week #4: I am grateful for a long and fulfilling weekend of stake conference and that my calling has been going so well. I am grateful that I could put first things first this weekend and feel a difference. I am grateful for good friends with whom I may study and for one dear friend who recently showed me a chain of scriptures that have led to greater appreciation for and unfolding of the mysteries of God. (Do a scripture study on this phrase for yourself dear reader and notice the promised blessings.) I am grateful that I didn't do so poorly on this most recent calculus quiz as to be past the point of no return; I am grateful for nearly so many days off so I can study.



I am grateful my cupcakes for Thanksgiving turned out so well. I am also grateful for such near and dear family as several of my mother's brothers: a Hansen holiday has proven once again to be the ultimate vacation.

12 Days of Christmas (DIY advent)

12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS: CELEBRATING THE MESSIAH

**If you have less time or shorter attention spans in your family, feel free to break each day in half for a longer advent calendar.  If so, begin reading on December 1st instead of December 13th, ending Christmas Eve.

DAY  1 (Dec. 13):  The year is 1742 and autumn is in the air.  An elderly gentleman sighs then says to his secretary, “God has visited me.”  In a mere 24 days Handel composed his most outstanding work!   Initially he thought this would take a year to complete.  Handel wrote Messiah with careful simplicity and it is best performed accordingly.  Part I (songs #1-21) contains many prophecies about the Messiah, most of which are from Isaiah.  Part II (songs #22-44) deals mainly with the suffering, Crucifixion, and Atonement of Christ.  Part III (songs #45-53) is concerned with the Resurrection.   

Read the following scriptures to introduce the oratorio: 1 Tim. 3:16, Col. 2:2-3.

DAY 2 (Dec. 14):  Read and discuss “Handel and the gift of the Messiah” by Elder Condie in the Ensign December 2010, pages 23-24, 26-27.

DAY 3 (Dec. 15): #3-7, 9-11 are prophecies of the Second Coming.  Here are the references:

Isaiah 40:1-5

Haggai 2:6-7, Malachi 3:1

Malachi 3:2-3

Isaiah 40:9; 60:1

Isaiah 9:2-3

DAY 4 (Dec. 16): #8, 12, 14-17 Are prophecies about Christ’s birth.  In #17 Handel inserted Italian directions for this number, translated as follows: as from a distance and rather softly.  He wanted the chorus to sound like the Angelic hosts coming down from Heaven to visit the shepherds. Listen to “For Unto Us a Child is Born” online. Here are the references:

Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1:22-23

Isaiah 9:6

Luke 2:8-11, 13-14

DAY 5 (Dec. 17): #18-21 Are general prophecies about the Savior. Here are the references:

Zechariah 9:9-10

Isaiah 35:5-6

Isaiah 40:11

Matthew 11:28-30

DAY 6 (Dec. 18):  #22-25, 30-32 Describe explicit and exquisite suffering, including the Father’s reaction.  Here are the references:

John 1:29  This song is marked “Largo”, a tempo reserved for a king’s entry or a death march—this is both.  The words are what John the Baptism said when introducing Christ.

Isaiah 53:3-5 The first four notes of verse 5 are sung using “the cross motif” (if you connect the notes you get a cross laying on its side.)  This was used by Bach and since then, people had learned to recognize the melody and associate it with the cross of Christ.

Lamentations 1:12

Isaiah 50:6

Isaiah 53:8

Psalm 16:10

DAY 7 (Dec. 19):  #26-29 Are the reactions of people now and then towards Christ.   Psalms 22:8 is a fugue so each of the four voice parts takes a turn singing the melody and then it gets broken into pieces and everyone starts singing something different at the same time.  The melismas (lots of notes on one word or syllable) on the word delight often sound like mean laughter.  Sometimes the characters singing here in verse 8 sounds like the smug Pharisees, but Handel also has sections that sound more like Christ’s disciples who were disappointed and confused that Christ allowed himself to die.  Part of being the Messiah meant that He had to choose to die, but they did not understand that.  Here are the references:

Isaiah 53:6

Psalm 22:7-8

Psalm 69:20

DAY 8 (Dec. 20):  #33-44 Describe some of the results of the Atonement.  Here are the references:   

Psalm 24: 7-10

Heb. 1:5-6

Psalm 68: 11, 16

Romans 10:15, 18

Psalm 2:1-4, 9

Revelation 19:6,16; 11:15

DAY 9 (Dec. 21):  Listen to the Hallelujah chorus online and discuss.  Why do we stand for the Hallelujah chorus (#44)?

The tradition of standing during the Hallelujah Chorus began during a performance on March 23, 1743 [its first performance in England]. King George II was attending the performance. When the Hallelujah Chorus began King George rose. It is unclear why he stood up, he may have been stretching his legs, it is possible that King George, who was partially deaf, mistook the opening notes for the national anthem, or he may have risen to his feet out of respect.

No one knows why King George stood but we do know that people around the world still rise to their feet whenever they hear first notes of the Hallelujah Chorus.

(Read more at Suite101: Handel's Hallelujah Chorus: The Story of the Culminating Chorus in The Messiah http://www.suite101.com/content/handels-hallelujah-chorus-a34854#ixzz17MLvDgpz)

DAY 10 (Dec. 22):  #45-50 testify of the resurrection of our living Lord.  Here are the references:

Job 19:25-26, 1 Cor. 15:20

1 Corinthians 15:21-22

1 Corinthians 15:52-56

DAY 11 (Dec. 23):  #51-53 highlight especially the gratitude we should all feel for what Christ did so that we each might live.  Here are the references:

1 Corinthians 15:57

Romans 8:31, 33-34

Revelations 5:12-13

DAY 12 (Dec. 24): Testimony bearing with friends and family

Let me know how this worked (or didn't) for your family? What other traditions do you have for Christmas? How do you strike a balance between the religious and commercial?