An Easter Sunday Meal with Young Kids – and Family Traditions
Text by Morgan Hardy
Growing up, my family lived abroad.
Consequently, we didn’t have any extended family nearby.
My parents often longed for familiar traditions and meals associated with holidays like Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. However, this wasn’t easy to arrange. Still, my mother handled the situation admirably.
For instance, she threw out all false expectations and embraced change and flexibility. After the first year of living abroad, we started to observe holidays differently. And no festivity was the same year to year. Sometimes we honoured the occasion with local families, sometimes we travelled, most often it was a strange mix of old and new activities.
Indeed, I grew to be very proud of my family’s adaptability and resilience. I also noticed that it contrasted with the way several of our friends and family celebrated. As a teenager, I knew many who stubbornly celebrated in the same way over and over.
I could see that, at times, it was a struggle when the traditions had eventually piled so high the holiday program was packed, stressful, and nearly impossible to maintain. I couldn’t understand why families maintained these practices at all.
But that was before I became a mom.
A new perspective
As a mother of a young family, I feel like I finally understand the purpose of traditions. It’s about simplicity and efficiency.
Also, I realised that I had started my family traditions for Easter and Thanksgiving without realising it. Each time a holiday comes around, I navigate to my Pinterest board, where I keep tried and tested recipes and activities. I don’t have to think about what to cook or plan.
Armed with this experience, I now understand the purpose of traditions.
Traditions can make things efficient and manageable for adults. But I can still keep the advice learned from my mother. Habits may need to change as the family ages and situations change. That’s where the flexibility comes in. As the years go by, you don’t need to feel bound to every activity you have ever done. Just keep the traditions that work and ditch those that don’t.
Accordingly, in this spirit, I am sharing below an Easter tradition that has worked well for my family.
A Family-Style Easter Meal
I have tried cooking the Easter style family meal with potatoes, ham, salad, side, and the works. It was not worth it with two young kids who needed coaxing and help to eat everything and whose attention lasted no longer than 15 minutes.
So, last year, we did an Easter Egg hunt picnic. My husband and I packed a tasty meal for ourselves. But rather than preparing a typical meal for the kids, we brought bite-sized morsels. Like Easter eggs, cheese cubes, berries, crackers, sandwiches cut into tiny bits, nuts, and a few chocolate treats.
My husband and I scattered the eggs across the field and left our kids to scavenge their lunch. This activity kept them busy and happy for a long time. Meanwhile, Bryan and I enjoyed a relaxing picnic meal to ourselves. It beats the mealtime madness of the previous year.
While tradition will not always work for us – for now, it’s a very atypical Sunday Easter meal that works for us.
