I can begin to smell the flowers blooming outside, my car is completely covered in what looks like yellow dust, my eyes are constantly itchy, there is a certain bunny at the mall, and it’s warming up quite a bit. What does that mean? It’s spring time! Otherwise known as, allergy season.
Not only that, but it’s almost Easter! While it’s not my favorite holiday, it’s certainly one to celebrate. I would say my family is very much so into holidays and traditions. We always had a huge feast for Thanksgiving. Christmas was filled with cookie making, gift exchanging, and yet another huge meal. Valentine’s day was celebrated with simple decorations, giving candy, and watching movies. We welcomed the New Year with BBQ ribs and of course we had to watch the ball drop with our sparking grape juice. 4th of July was always fun as we usually went to somebody’s house for a cookout where we would watch a million fireworks go off. Halloween was spent trick or treating with friends in our unique costumes. Easter had it’s enjoyable moments too. When I was little, my mom would put me in a pastel dress for church, we dyed eggs, we had an egg hunt, and of course the Easter bunny came every year.
Even though I’m all grown up and married, I want my past traditions to carry on through my adult years. Sometimes it can be a struggle because I want things to stay the same, but naturally they can’t. And I also married somebody who isn’t exactly into holidays and family gatherings, so as you can imagine this can make things difficult. We have come a long way though!
Just like in every marriage, you learn to compromise. Kevin could let every holiday pass and never blink an eye. As for myself, that doesn’t work. I want to celebrate EVERY holiday and with passion! I love parties, having a reason to celebrate, getting dressed up for a special occasion, and basically having an excuse to invite people over. I even enjoy hosting and making a big deal out of something simple such as a super bowl party.
So as Easter rolls around how do we plan to celebrate while on a budget?
- Since it’s just the two of us, I do not plan on cooking. I cooked one time during a holiday when it was just Kevin and I. Never again. I mean I cooked the whole deal! It was a feast for two. We couldn’t eat all the food I made so I ended up throwing a lot of it out. I have nightmares just thinking about it! This year we will be splitting up our time between two different family’s. This works out great and because our household currently consists of two people, we’ll make a few dishes to bring to each house and call it a day. I know our day will come when we get to host the party’s but until then, I’ll enjoy attending other houses for celebrations.
- Kevin and I have come into an agreement that we will start celebrating some holidays after they pass. For example: Last year I made an Easter basket for Kevin and this year I plan to wait until the candy goes on sale and buy him EXTRA jellybeans (his fav!). Seriously, you can save so much money during candy filled holidays like Valentine’s, Easter, and Halloween if you celebrate one day later. Depending on where you live and what stores you shop, I’ve seen candy drop anywhere from 25%-75% off the day after it’s over! That’s a killer deal.
- Dying Easter eggs is something I’ve been wanting to get back into. I know it seems childish but it’s a wonderful memory from my childhood. Mom would make hard boiled eggs then we’d watch as our eggs soaked up the dye from each color filled mug. Unfortunately, I doubt I’ll be starting the tradition this year as I’ve been quite busy and time has been slipping from my hands, but it’s on the list for next year! You can buy Easter egg dye for around $5. I plan to buy a kit from Walmart for next year this upcoming Monday when it’s on sale! Who says you can’t plan for a year in advance?
Being able to carry on my childhood traditions into our marriage is definitely a learning situation and I guarantee once kids come along, these traditions will easily fall right into place. It’s just a matter of keeping up with some of them and finding affordable options.
And we must not forget the true reason for Easter:
HE IS RISEN
HE IS RISEN INDEED
What are your Easter traditions? 🙂
