Easter Bunny. Silly Rabbit This Day Isn't About You.
- Margarita Valdes
- Mar 29
- 6 min read
Updated: Apr 13
by Margarita Valdes
How to Create Traditions That Celebrate Jesus at Easter
If you are familiar with AFTER the King’s origin story, you know the part Santa played. Well, the Easter Bunny was the villain at the other end of the story.
Christmas and Easter—the two most sacred holidays in our faith—and the characters best known for them had nothing to do with the actual celebrations and stories we're supposed to be telling.
But if history is any indicator, then there is hope that even this story can change!
What's All The Fuss About the Easter Bunny?
The Easter Bunny's roots trace back to old Germanic folklore and the spring goddess Eostre. As Christianity spread, the Christian celebration of Jesus' resurrection—Easter—gradually absorbed and replaced the earlier spring festivals. The symbols of hares and eggs lingered, eventually becoming associated with the Christian holiday.
So here we are: Jesus' resurrection gets upstaged by a bunny.
The End? No Way. We're rewriting this ending—starting with your family.
Silly Rabbit This Day Isn't About You
That’s right, it’s about the resurrection of Jesus. But how do you compete with the highly commercialized cultural celebrations if you want Easter to mean more than that? If you want them to understand the real story? Honestly, how does traditional Easter Sunday church service compete with chocolate bunnies and plastic eggs filled with jellybeans?
Just like the Gospels preach the good news, there is more good news: You don't have to compete. You can use the things they already love—anticipation, treasure hunts, special meals, celebrations—to make Jesus' story just as exciting.
Easter is April 5th this year, with Palm Sunday on March 29th. That gives you just enough time to plan one meaningful tradition that your kids will actually want to do again next year.
The rabbit may have upstaged Jesus in the past, but moving forward this story has a different ending.
Let me show you four creative ways to make the Easter story unforgettable.
4 Creative Ways to Make Easter Unforgettable
The Empty Egg Hunt: 12 Eggs, 12 Days, One Story
This Egg Hunt Serves Up Something Better Than Candy.
Here's how it works: Fill 12 plastic eggs with small objects that tell the Easter story. Starting 12 days before Easter, hide one egg each day. Your kids hunt for it, open it, and discover the next part of the story.
Examples: A small donkey for Palm Sunday. Coins for betrayal. Bread for the Last Supper. A nail for the cross. And egg #12? Completely empty—He is risen!
Why kids love it: Daily treasure hunt. The story unfolds like a mystery. And that final empty egg on Easter morning? It hits different when they've been following the story all week.
The magic moment: When they open that last empty egg and realize—He's not there. He's alive.
Palm-to-Easter Bookends: Three Big Moments
If daily activities feel overwhelming, focus on creating three memorable moments that tell the whole story:
Palm Sunday (March 29):
Make palm branches and parade around your house shouting "Hosanna". The key lesson weaved into the re-enactment is what the people expected of Jesus. This detail is key to Friday.
Good Friday (April 4):
This is where the powerful crowd shift happens. Just five days later, they shout "Crucify Him". Create a moment to sit in silence. Using their own friendships and a real world example, shape the story. Tell them to imagine a friend just days later turning on them. That's what Jesus faced. And yet, He goes to the cross for them.
Easter Morning (April 5):
Begin the morning with enthusiasm. Now is the time to connect all the dots. He died for those who rejected Him. He died for us. But death didn't hold Him. Love wins. Enjoy a celebratory breakfast before or lunch after church.
Why this works: Just three moments. Manageable for busy families. Kids experience the emotional journey—celebration, betrayal, darkness, then BIGGER celebration. They feel the story instead of just hearing it. And the lesson about fickle crowds? It's a lesson they'll carry into real life about peer pressure, loyalty and unconditional love.
The Easter Story Scavenger Hunt: One Adventure, One Afternoon
Set up a scavenger hunt in your home or yard where each clue leads to the next part of the Easter story.
How it works: Start at your front door. Kids solve riddles to discover where to go next - bread, coins, thorns, wood, stone. They're problem-solving their way through the complete resurrection story from Palm Sunday to the empty tomb. Until the final reveal: an empty basket with a note that changes everything.
Why kids love it: Active, challenging, they're solving 10 puzzles while discovering the story. It feels like an adventure, not a lesson.
Family Last Supper Dinner: Make Thursday Night Sacred
On Thursday night of Holy Week, create a special family dinner that mirrors the Last Supper.
How to make it meaningful:
Let your kids help set a special table. Serve bread and grape juice. Tell the story of Jesus' final meal with His friends. Break bread together and pass it around. Use the time after dinner to demonstrate a simple act of service. Be sure to include the significant lesson that Jesus did not distinguish between his friends and betrayers.
Why it works: Sensory, tangible, special. Kids feel "grown-up" participating in something meaningful. It creates a family tradition worth repeating every year.
Pick What Fits Your Family
You don't need to do all four of these. Choose the one that sounds most exciting to you and your kids:
Want daily anticipation? Try the Empty Egg Hunt.
Want something simple with big impact? Go with the Palm-to-Easter Bookends.
Have active, adventure-loving kids? The Scavenger Hunt is perfect.
Want a meaningful meal tradition? Host the Last Supper Dinner.
Pick one. Start small. Make your own Easter tradition.
The most beautiful thing in the whole exercise? Knowing the rabbit may have upstaged Jesus in the past, but moving forward this story has a different ending – and it is special to your family. And it’s meaning will last long after the Easter candy is gone..
Want the Framework to Get Started?
We've created a FREE Easter Family Tradition Guide to help you plan:
✓ Overview of all 4 activity options
✓ Step-by-step framework for each tradition
✓ Scripture references for Holy Week
✓ Conversation starters for meaningful moments
✓ Material suggestions for all the activities
Download your free guide here. [LINK]
(Complete printable toolkit with egg labels, clue cards, and templates coming this week!)
You Have Time
Palm Sunday is March 29th. Easter is April 5th. That's one week.
You have just enough time to pick one meaningful tradition and make it happen.
Easter was always meant to be about something truly remarkable. And this year you can make that a reality. Just like the actual resurrection, this is about a moment in time. They won't remember how much candy they got this year. But they will remember the year they hunted for eggs that told Jesus' story. Or the year you paraded around the house shouting "Hosanna!" Or when they realized just how great a sacrifice of love it was for Jesus to still go to the cross with no evidence, we loved Him back. Or maybe it’s the night you washed each other's hands and talked about what it means to serve like Jesus.
Easter can be more than egg hunts and baskets. It can be the story that changes everything about their faith—if we help our kids experience it, not just hear about it.
Pick one. Try it this year. See what happens.
As always, we pray you Experience His Love and Live the Better AFTER.
Which Easter activity are you most excited to try? Share in the comments below—we'd love to hear what you're planning!
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