Caught In Between the Easter Bunny & The Cross – Advent Ideas for Adults and Kids

 cross images via Amanda Keener Black

Easter is at the heart of our Christian faith, and if this is the case in your home you will probably have to answer or address this question:  “What does Easter bunnies, egg hunts, etc.. have to do with Easter?”  In our home, we feel like we can enjoy the Easter bunny and focus on the Cross during this Easter season.  We don’t think that just because we choose the cross we should have nothing to do with Easter egg hunts and chocolate bunnies. I know that many families have different ideas on this and that is fine.  We hope to share with you how to celebrate and keep the focus on Christ, but still enjoy that good ol’ chocolate bunny.

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Easter baskets, chocolate bunnies, egg hunts are all a part of the festivities our culture enjoys during Easter, whether we believe in Jesus or not.  In our home the true meaning of Easter lies in the name of our risen Savior, Jesus.  Because He Lives, we have hope for tomorrow because He lives!  As you can see from our articles in this E-zine, we also love to celebrate with Easter bunnies and egg hunts.

In this article we will discuss fun ways that you can emphasize and focus on the true meaning of Easter in your home.

• First, we will start on how to address the inquisitive questions from your kids about Easter bunnies and the Cross.
• Then we will share some Easter advent ideas for ADULTS.  Yep, we can also prepare our hearts.
• Finally, we will end with some Easter advent ideas for the kids.

How to Answer: What Does the Easter Bunny Have to do with Easter?

There’s a great book called “Easter Bunny Are You For Real?” by Harold Myra.  Click on the image for a peek: 

Here is an excerpt from the book that is helpful in answering the question, “What does the Easter bunny have to do with Easter?”

“The Easter Bunny has nothing to do with the real Easter,” said Dad. “The Easter Bunny- along with new leaves and flowers and new baby kittens and baby chicks-is part of how we celebrate spring.  But that’s all.  Spring is God’s picture of Jesus rising from the dead as all of nature comes to life again?”

“The season before Easter, Christians remembered the suffering of Jesus.  Many gave up certain foods, including eggs.  We call this time Lent. “When Easter arrived each year, Christians celebrated their new life in Christ.  The sad time of not eating was over. It was time for the Easter feast.  Years ago, because eggs made people think of new life, they were brought to the table colored red for Easter joy.” The book goes on to explain other things about Easter.

Our hearts’ desire in our home as parents is to not only be able to enjoy some of the fun things our culture celebrates during holidays, but also to FOCUS and instill in our children’s hearts values, meaning, and truth with each holiday.

The book ends with “Well,” Todd said, “the Easter Bunny got us talking a lot about God and Jesus this year.”  (through the kids inquisitive questions) “Yes,” Dad agreed.  “And since God made both bunnies and food, I think I’ll have a little bite, too.”

Fun Easter Ideas That Focus on Christ for Adults and Kids

Easter Advent for adults:  Something I have done since college on and off to prepare my  heart for Easter is I read through the story of Christ the week leading to Easter in a different version in the Bible for the first couple of days.  Then I enjoy a good Easter story novel.  Some of my favorites are from Max Lucado for easy reading, and there are some more intense non-fiction ones from Lee Stroebel.  I end with watching the Passion of Christ on Saturday.  As I begin this preparation, I ask God to help me see his sacrifice, work and love with a fresh perspective because I don’t want to lose that awe and wonder for His Love for me at the cross. Unfortunately, this happens to a lot of us who have grown up hearing those familiar Bible stories every year.

Click on images for a peek of the book:

Easter Advent For Kids-

This simple and easy 8 days of Easter advent is great from Kristina at Motherhood Your Way or this Easter countdown with activities and Bible stories from The True Confession.

Busy & Tech Savvy Family-Easter Advent is the one we used last year and loved.

This advent is very different from the traditional ones mentioned above.  This advent is set up to happen over dinner and all you need is your computer and bible for the main activities but there are also fun activities added for those days when you have more time.

Resurrection Rolls– End the advent countdown with this fabulous and yummy lesson- Easter Resurrection rolls

Resurrection Eggs– For many years we have used Resurrection Eggs from Family Life, and we just received as a gift the book that goes along with it: Benjamin’s Box. 

We bought our Resurrection Eggs at Wal-mart, but you can get them online or your local Christian bookstore.  If you’re in the mood, they are really easy to make. How Does She makes it easy to put together with her scripture cards and object ideas already made up for you.

Eggcellent Table Conversation Starters

Eggcellent Table Conversations– I know I just got a little cheezy on you.  This activity is great for some serious or silly conversation about Easter or you can use them to write sweet notes to your kids.

How do you balance the Easter bunny and the message of the Cross in your home?