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When I was a little girl, Easter was all about the bunny.
And the basket.
And the dress. Oh yes, the dress!
Sisters in our Easter Dresses 1969.
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The special Easter dress was family tradition that we looked forward to. As a child, I loved the pretty dress that often matched my sister. Some years we even had Easter bonnets–the frilly white kind.
In our white patent leather shoes and lacy socks, we loved the thrill of hunting for Easter eggs, colorful and filled with sweet treasures.
Easter 1967
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I have many special Easter memories stored away in my heart. Years of traditions shared with family. What a treasure these old photos are.
As I have grown older, I still love the sharing holiday traditions with my family.  What joy to plan egg hunts and make Easter baskets for my own children.
Easter 2001
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My mom saved those many of the Easter dresses my sister and I wore, and what sweet moments for my own girls to wear them.
Easter 2000
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You will notice that I did not make them wear the bonnets…mom saved those too.
Over the years the generations change as the crawling babies grow into teenagers and the young parents become grandparents. Easter is still one of the few times we gather as extended family, and it is precious.
As a military family, we have not always lived close enough to spend Easter with family, which makes the memories all the more special.
Easter 2008
Easter 2005
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[tweetthis]Family traditions bring generations together, creating strong bonds and family stories. [/tweetthis]
Whether it is Easter dresses, decorating and hunting for eggs, playing games, making crafts, or baking special recipes, take time to create family traditions. It’s never too late to start!
Through the years traditions will change with the ages and interests of the children, but always the best tradition is to celebrate life and love together as a family!
It’s 2012 and sisters are still showing off our Easter dresses!
This year, all of my kids will be joining us for Easter. The college crowd is making the time to come, which is a challenge as they don’t have time off for Easter.
The lure of fun times with aunts, uncles, and cousins beckons as they realize the years are passing and time with the older generation is not to be taken for granted.
[tweetthis]Love is the glue of family traditions that brings generations together and creates love for a lifetime.[/tweetthis]
Here are a few websites that have great ideas for Easter activities with kids. Enjoy your traditions and add a little something new.
101 Easter Activities for Kids
A Collection of the Best Cross Activities
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12 Not-So-Traditional Easter Hunts
So glad you're here. I help busy women—gals like you— build healthy habits for living well with biblical wisdom and practical steps to deepen your faith, increase your hope, and thrive in your purpose.
Awesome post; loved the photos – then and now!! I love family traditions; some my “kids” carry on, but many they re-do for them to fit their life style. We usually gather now at one of the daughter’s homes; and sometimes my son and his family are able to join us – they are out of town, about 12 hours away.
Thanks for sharing!!
So glad you shared how traditions have changed in your family through the years. Traditions can evolve and change over time, particularly when our most important tradition is to enjoy being together as a family. Happy Easter!
I love traditions and family!
I’m sad that my kids don’t let me dress them up all fancy anymore. :-/
Did you change your traditions during the tween/teen years? Do you ever feel like you love the holidays and traditions way more than the kids? As my kids age (12 & 11) I feel more and more like it’s “mandatory fun”. Perhaps I should find a friend nearby who also loves these things so we can build each other up. Then I can share the blessings with my family and feel a bit less offended. 😉
The responses to traditions definitely change as the kids get older and I had to adjust the traditions. When the teens were too old to hunt Easter eggs, they had fun organizing the egg hunt for the younger cousins. Tweens can be hard because they often feel like they are “too old” for that baby stuff. Have fun remembering those days when they were younger and look for new ways to have fun as a family during the holidays. Holidays can be a challenge because we want those stress-free, conflict-free picture perfect experiences. In real life, there are often moments of attitude challenges and things rarely go perfectly. Roll with the waves and enjoy your family. Some traditions will fall by the wayside, but you’ll be surprised at how they will come back over time. Happy Easter, sweet friend, and give those kiddos a hug from me!!
Thanks for responding! I love hearing from you and getting “older kid” advice. 😉
Happy Easter!!
This year at the egg hunt, the younger cousins had a blast. Such simple fun. The oldest was in 7th grade and he still had fun, which was great to see.
Ginger,
I loved looking at your photos and reading about your Easter traditions! I can’t believe your mom was so forward-thinking to save your dresses so your girls could wear them — how wonderful! Some of my favorite girlhood memories are from Easter — fresh flowers, spring air and our family gathered around the table. So glad I stopped by today! 🙂
My mom was very organized and good at saving things. It was a very special thing to have my girls wear those dresses (though one of them ripped under the arm because the fabric was so fragile). Happy Easter to you too. Enjoy special times.
What a fun post! Thanks for reminding me traditions matter. Happy Easter to you and your family.
Thanks for dropping by. Traditions don’t have to be overkill that drives everyone nuts (I’ve been guilty of that on occassion…). Simple and relaxed traditions are great. Now that kids are older, they are really helpful!
Ginger,
What wonderful photos of your childhood up to the current time…What a gift…wishing you and your family a very blessed Easter 🙂
Hope you had a lovely Easter as well. We had a wonderful trip to visit family.
I enjoyed looking at your photos, giving us all a closer glimpse into your life. 🙂 I remember our family easter egg hunts quite well. My mom would hide the real eggs that we would dye, so we had to make sure we found every single one! When we only counted 23 and she knew she hid 24 (but could not remember all her hiding spots!) we would run around the house like crazy trying to find the last one. Happy Easter, Ginger. Enjoy your family time.
My cousin was telling me that when they helped my uncle move last month they found several easter eggs that had been missed in various egg hunts through the years. Too funny. Hope you had a wonderful Easter, Laura!
Such sweet pictures! I too have always loved spending time with family on Easter!
Me too! It was such a joy to join our extended family again this year. For my son, it was the first time in 8 years he could join the extended family for Easter.