The Best Easter Gift

For Christians, the Easter holiday holds great meaning and it is the whole basis for the Christian faith. We were given the ultimate gift on the days that Christ was crucified and then resurrected. He paid the penalty for our sin so that we can be redeemed through him and the sacrifice He made for us.

In other words, by putting our faith in Jesus and believing that he died for our sins, we get the gift of eternal life. The fact that Jesus was resurrected back to life on Easter is proof that we will also live eternally.

Easter is the happiest of holidays because we are reminded of this great truth. This is a gift that no one deserves or can earn. It is solely by God's grace.

The Easter Holiday always falls on a Sunday and this day  signifies the day that Jesus rose from the grave and ascended back into heaven.  Maundy Thursday marks the beginning of the Easter holiday and marks the evening of the last supper before Christ was crucified.  This is followed by Good Friday which marks the day of Christ's crucifixion.  The fact that the day is called good is because of the results of Jesus' sacrifice.

Ephesians 2:8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast.

John 14:6 Jesus answered, I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

John 11:18 Jesus said to her, I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.

Although Easter is a religious holiday, there are some celebratory gifts typically given to children. The Easter basket, filled with candy and small toys, is a common tradition in the United States for celebrating the holiday.

Even though the origination of the Easter basket is a mix of pagan and religious history, I feel that the mindset you have when celebrating is what matters. Easter is a joyous occasion worthy of much celebration. We always made it very clear to our children, as soon as they could understand, the true meaning of Easter. They knew that the Easter basket was just a fun tradition and the Easter bunny was pretend.

I would guess that many people don't even know how the Easter basket was derived. It apparently started from a pagan custom of bringing a basket of seedlings to a goddess for blessing for a good harvest. The catholics had their own version of the basket which signified the end of lent. For most people now, it simply signifies the beginning of Spring. The beginning of Spring and the Easter holiday merged together.

Another fun traditional gift is to fill colored plastic eggs with candy and then hide them for kids to find.  I still remember my kids running around the yard in their Sunday best looking for those little eggs, squealing with delight each time one was found.  Easter is definitely a joyous holiday for a very major reason and a lot of little ones.