Easter. The word evokes scenes of jovial egg hunts and watery sunshine peeking out from behind the clouds after a lengthy winter. Perhaps you gorge yourself on chocolate, gather your family round for a roast dinner or even just ignore the holiday as if it never happened. Despite the wholesome, secularised connotations now associated with this Christian holiday, it still isn’t elevated to the same level as Christmas for many of us. But why is this? Perhaps because of the more profoundly religious nature of the festival marking the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus? Or has Easter just not had a chance to be converted to a consumerist’s paradise yet?

 

Don’t get me wrong, if you enter any given shop in the run up to Easter Sunday; you can expect it to be filled to the brim with pastel toned decorations and seventy variations of the same chocolate egg. It’s not that modernity hasn’t infiltrated Easter but rather that we haven’t taken this as an excuse to remove all holy significance from the day and shower ourselves with gifts. A December 2018 survey found that 53.6% of the UK is Christian, yet by simply asking around your friend group will gather the opinion that not as many people go to town for this holiday. Christmas is ubiquitous in Britain, a day ingrained in our society for amusement and gift giving, yet its Springtime equivalent is almost always treated as a much more modest affair.  

 

My family isn't particularly religious yet every Easter we gather round and eat the typical dishes such as roast lamb, or nut roast, and hot cross buns for afters. My grandmother will buy all of her grandchildren an easter egg and organise an egg hunt for the younger ones and we will do some Easter themed arts and crafts. I think this is a pretty common experience across many households, but there is none of the pressure from countless secret Santas, card posting, multiple parties or the endless days of preparing meals. Because the expectations are that bit lower, I think that this only makes the Easter holidays that bit more enjoyable. 

 

Yet as time flies by, we’re seeing an increase in the idea of ‘Easter gifts’ ; small presents to mark the holiday which are reminiscent of the first wave of Christmas gifting in the early 1800s. It almost seems like another excuse to shower your loved ones with presents, and there doesn’t seem to be anything harmful about showing your love and appreciation. Yet, already the religious message of Easter seems to be fading as many Brits turn to the less macabre Easter bunny and his brightly coloured merchandise for their fill of Easter entertainment.

 

There are ways to recapture the simpler essence of the holiday, as shown below, and maybe activity or two from here can be a replacement for the unnecessary gifts that we’re already contemplating buying for the family on Easter Sunday.

-Have an egg hunt for all ages; maybe hiding jokes, challenges  or sweets instead of larger prizes.

-Host a dinner for your family/friends which doesn’t have to be traditionally easter themed; use this as a chance to meet up and reconnect.

-Decorate easter eggs with chocolate or polystyrene eggs with paint.

-Watch Easter related films.

-Go for a walk to see the spring flowers.

-Cook a traditional family recipe.