Easter in the Jungle

Years ago I became disenchanted with the whole commercialism of Easter. So I sat my family down and presented a plan.

We were going to fire the Easter Bunny! Not roast him fired, but truly never have him come again. The children were reluctant, but I told them that we could do Easter for ourselves cheaper than the Easter Bunny. They were going to be each other's Easter Bunny.

We drew names and since the kids were little we set a $10 limit. They had a lot of fun finding things for each other and hiding their purchases until the day of Easter.

I purchased some candy for all of us to share and they put the Easter baskets together and presented them to their person Easter morning.

We still carry out this tradition. This year we upped the basket amount to $20-25. It takes thought to work within a budget. It takes effort to think about what your person likes. It is also about doing for others.

I related this to what Christ did for us. He thought about our sins, shortcomings, and all those things that we would need to heal from. He thought about each of us as He suffered. He gave His life for us that we might have eternal life and be perfected through Him after our mortal schooling.

I have never regretted firing the Easter Bunny and allowing my children to think about other family members instead of what they would get. As I look back on that time it was just what we needed to become closer to Christ and our Heavenly Father. It keeps the focus where it should be, rather than on ourselves.

Happy Easter everyone. May your day be filled with thoughts of how the Savior's gift has blessed your life, helped you heal from hurts, forgiven your sins, minimized the gap in your shortcomings, and blessed you with wonderful people in your life.

Love Klin and the Monkey family.

"....Why seek Ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen ...."   

Luke 24:5-6