Sometimes we need more hoopla with our holidays, like the Jewish faith with Passover and the Catholics, etc. with Holy Week. They enjoy week-long celebrations.

Over the years I have done some things to mark the Easter holiday:

1. Make Hot Cross Buns. 

I like bread, it’s a good tradition for Good Friday. The history of hot cross buns? Well, they are popular on Good Friday. They are popular in England. They are made to celebrate the Savior’s crucifixion, because there is a cross on the top of them. I am not a big fan of the symbol of torture, but I like the frosting on the top.
They may date back even further than Christ though — to some Goddess named Eostre (Easter) that the Saxons worshiped. There is folklore connected with the hot cross buns — if you keep one for the whole year, it won’t get moldy. Not likely. If you take it on a ship voyage it will protect you from sinking. If you give it to someone who is ill, they get well. Not likely either.But, I do like the taste of them. They are good little buns. Oh, and there is a little English nursery rhyme:

Hot cross buns! Hot cross buns! One ha’ penny, two ha’ penny, Hot cross buns!

If you have no daughters, Give them to your sons, One ha’ penny, Two ha’ penny, Hot Cross Buns

 

2.  Have a Passover meal with the seder

We have done this with our Jewish friends and on our own. We’ve set out a goblet for Elijah, and opened the door. If it’s just our family, we explain to our children that we believe Elijah has already come. He appeared to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery in the Kirtland Temple on April 3rd, 1836. Joseph explained that after he distributed the Lord’s Supper to the Church,

“ I retired to the pulpit, the veils being dropped, and bowed myself, with Oliver Cowdery, in solemn and silent prayer. After rising from prayer, the following vision was opened to both of us” (D&C 110.)

Then the veil was removed, their eyes of understanding were opened, and they saw the Lord, Jehovah. But this was not all, they saw Elijah. In the account, Elijah appears to Joseph and Oliver and declares that the time has come which Malachi spoke of–that Elijah, the prophet would be sent before the great and dreadful day of the Lord,

“To turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the children to the fathers, lest the whole earth be smitten with a curse—” (Mal. 4: 5-6)(D&C 110)

Elijah delivered the keys of the Priesthood, the sealing power, the authority to seal for time and eternity. The authority to seal families together beyond this life.

3.  Color Easter eggs, have treasure hunts 

Pretty traditional in our family. My mom started that. The smell of vinegar comes to mind. She would make a treasure hunt for us — with a gift at the end. One year, I was pouting, couldn’t figure out the little riddle for the last clue and gift. She didn’t give in — later she asked me to put something away for her — and boom there was the gift. I will never forget that. My mom gave us an Easter basket with candy — no looking for that.

As a mom, I changed it up a bit, made a treasure hunt that lead to a hidden Easter basket for each child. But when they were very young, I just hid it — no riddles to solve. In fact, one Easter, when my daughter was about three, she delicately looked into her Easter basket and saw a little 2-inch wooden crate. She beamed up at me, “oh is baby Jesus in there?” I was a little sad to have to tell her, “no, there are little baby ducks in there.”

My kids began to expect a truly great treasure hunt every year — they looked forward to solving the riddles which I wrote on small pieces of paper — about ten in all or more. Each time they solved the riddle, they went to the spot defined by that answer and found another paper and riddle to solve.

I don’t know what this has to do with Jesus, but we have had some fun. Ha! Maybe we should liken it to solving the mysteries in the scriptures, which requires thought and inspiration.

4. Read, study, be grateful for Christ