Celebrating comes naturally to us; just think back to the Christmas season, and all the time you spent preparing special foods, selecting and wrapping gifts, listening to festive seasonal music, gathering with loved ones, and maybe attending parties, concerts and worship services dedicated to the season of Christmas.

Christmas is worth celebrating. And Easter is even MORE worth celebrating! The resurrection of Christ, the defeat of death and the devil; this event is the centerpoint celebration of our faith.

So how can we approach Easter with preparation, so that we can celebrate well?

Plan ahead for your Easter morning/day celebrations.

1) Set the scene.

-Gather (or purchase) your Easter decor, perhaps a "He is Risen" piece of art. Check out Hobby Lobby or Etsy for some great options! Set it out right before you go to bed the night before Easter morning.

-A couple of days before Easter, purchase some beautiful spring flowers. Hide them in your garage and pull them out to place around the house the night before so they are ready for Easter morning.

-Turn on some celebratory music as soon as the sun rises on Sunday. Waiting for Easter morning to play resurrection songs adds to the anticipation! Here is a suggested playlist.

2) Add some fun and feasting.

-Everyone loves Easter baskets, even adults! Create simple Easter baskets for the loved ones in your life, and include some Christ-centered items, such as large chocolate crosses (purchase at Hobby Lobby or on Amazon), a Scripture coloring book, or a book to encourage the recipient in their faith. For kids, we love the Tales that Tell the Truth series, Baby Believer Primer board books, and missionary/heroes of the faith biographies!

-Choose some special foods to make ahead or the morning of Easter. Hot cross buns are a traditional choice, though you could also make these for Good Friday!

-Think about something unique to you and your family that you'd like to include that will help add to the celebration of the day. Cascarones, anyone? :)

3) Incorporate optional experiential activities leading up to Easter, especially if you have kids at your house! Some ideas:

Resurrection garden. We will be making these at our Stations of the Cross at Trinity this year!