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Original poster

Easter Sunday as family event like Xmas day?

225 replies

skinnyoptionsonly · 19/04/2025 21:52

When I was younger, we celebrated Easter very similar to Christmas Day with extended family members.

For various reasons now I don’t see it as any kind of special family day.
My kids are with their father. It’s a normal Sunday to me (Plus chocolate obviously).
Even if kids were here, it would still be a fairly normal Sunday

Am I alone in this ?

OP posts:
Testingmypatience1 · 20/04/2025 09:04

When dc were young Easter was a bigger event, with a lead up of Easter bonnets, crafts and hunts preparations.

Now they are adults we will have some eggs (not too many) a long walk in the sunshine - decorate the Easter tree and have lunch in a restaurant mid afternoon. We have seen friends either side of Easter for drinks and dinner.

Even at its peak it was never like Christmas, thank goodness. It’s low key, relaxed and easy. It’s the way I would like Christmas to be.

Testingmypatience1 · 20/04/2025 09:09

I love the lack of pressure at Easter.

Powderblue1 · 20/04/2025 09:16

As it’s a bank hol weekend we kind of treat a
it as that instead. We have a holiday home and normally travel there for a long weekend. We have family time but just us. Today we’re having an egg hunt, brunch at a local eatery, a family day out at an Easter fun day and then my DH travelling home tonight as he’s working.

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

Events & celebrations
Flomingho · 20/04/2025 09:16

Sunday roast dinner and a nice walk for us. Other than that a usual Sunday.

Elfie111 · 20/04/2025 09:23

Ishoulddomore · 20/04/2025 00:43

Not sure he liked swear words either if your being that anal and pedantic. But here you are…

Show quote history

It’s you’re not your 😂

Endofyear · 20/04/2025 09:28

If you're religious, it's a very significant event lasting the whole week really, with Ash Wednesday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday leading up to Easter Sunday. My Catholic Granny observed all these significant events. We used to go to church, followed by a big Sunday lunch with family. It wasn't about the Easter bunny or Easter eggs really, although we did have Easter eggs, it wasn't the main focus. These days, I'm not religious but it's still a time to get together with family.

Dutchhouse14 · 20/04/2025 09:49

We always celebrate Easter, it's not as big like Christmas - no presents! but decorate the house with easter decs and have lots of vases with spring flowers, invite family over for Roast lamb and easter egg Hunt in garden

Conkerjar · 20/04/2025 09:50

TubeScreamer · 20/04/2025 08:57

My feeling is that it has become more of a family occasion in recent years. I noticed that where I live lots of people were out for walks en masse with their extended families, or had lots of people visiting.
I much prefer it to Christmas. It’s a nice pause without all the pressure and excess of Christmas, plus all the lovely spring flowers.

I was very much not MC growing up. Nobody did any of the stuff mentioned here that I knew of, other than chocolate. Egg hunts were on American sitcoms as I got older and cable TV became more common.

Conkerjar · 20/04/2025 09:51

I think I've somehow quoted the wrong person 😑

queenofthesuburbs · 20/04/2025 10:11

SixtySomething · 20/04/2025 01:13

Maybe you should get out more. In the most recent census, 27 million adults identified as Christian. Agreed, not many regularly go to church, but Easter is one time people may go to church who don't usually go. It's a really normal and nice thing to do.

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And many people don’t go regularly because life just is so busy! I now tend to go on my own and when I do, that hour of music and reflection is absolute bliss.
But always at Christmas and Easter.

I also popped into a Catholic cathedral on Good Friday (just for ten minutes) and that was packed ( and a three hour service at that!)

treacledan71 · 20/04/2025 10:17

No. Don't have much family. Both sets parents died. When a kid I know we did. DH working today. DS 17 be asleep until lunch and not really a Sunday dinner person. I did a lamb dinner yesterday as going to give the cooker a good clean today. Do today's food in air fryer. If DH was off work today would have done a nice dinner. Got friends etc and sibling but we never got together easter. Some of them work too. I am not religious either.

PinkTonic · 20/04/2025 10:45

HardyKoala · 19/04/2025 23:49

i reckon the entire 25 odd church goers in the UK are on this thread. It spins my mind to hear it - quaint really

Are you as rude and dismissive of all cultural and religious traditions that you don’t share?

HoraceCope · 20/04/2025 10:50

no you are not alone,
my dm still wants the family meal,
for us it is less of a celebration but i guess the long weekend people use as they wish

HoraceCope · 20/04/2025 10:51

when i went to germany it was lovely with people decorating their trees with ornamental eggs

milleniumstar · 20/04/2025 10:52

It's a family day for us but we are Catholic

Mikart · 20/04/2025 10:56

Never has been.for us but then we never had family get-together Xmases.

stargirl1701 · 20/04/2025 10:57

We still have all the grandparents with us today and staying until Tuesday so very similar to Christmas.

SquashedMallow · 20/04/2025 11:14

AleaEim · 20/04/2025 08:27

I have but I thought it was just commercialism. I’m Irish and the same advertising happens over there but most people I know just do the Easter bunny thing and the childless go away for the weekend.

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It is 100% commercialism.

It's working though hey ? 😏

GameOfJones · 20/04/2025 11:20

Sort of! We do normally get together with other family members and have a roast or a BBQ depending on the weather but it's much more low key.

We do an Easter egg hunt in the garden for DDs and it's the only day other than Christmas that they are allowed chocolate for breakfast. Then a walk somewhere and a meal with family. We've had a very relaxed morning and will walk over to see family later for a BBQ, we're saving the roast for tomorrow.

I do love Easter and think it's nice to make it a slightly special weekend. I don't turn down an opportunity for relaxed celebrations 🤣

Mistingdown · 20/04/2025 11:35

AleaEim · 20/04/2025 01:02

I’m from Ireland and until I moved to london I never realized that people have family events on Easter Sunday, for us growing up it was just Easter bunny, no dinner etc

Edited
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I’m Irish and we always do a big family dinner for Easter. So it varies. It’s not down to being Irish.

Mistingdown · 20/04/2025 11:37

Also the Easter services were huge in Ireland. Not so well-attended now, but when I was growing up you’d be to and fro to the church a lot.

NewsdeskJC · 20/04/2025 11:52

It's not Christmas but having 4 days off means that we can get together. Dd comes to us with her family (it's a long drive). I used to take my kids to my mum

Peridot1 · 20/04/2025 12:00

I find it surprising that some people are so unaware of Easter and Easter traditions and the meaning behind it. Is it not taught in schools in the UK?

I was brought up Catholic in Ireland and it was always a big thing. Although no egg hunts or Easter bunnies etc.

I decorate for Easter now as we lived in Eastern Europe and it was a big thing there so I have some lovely painted eggs on branches in a big vase. And a few other bits and pieces. I love the celebration of Spring and coming out of winter feeling of it all.

@AleaEim - if you were brought up in Ireland was it not a big thing at school? It was for us. We were expected to go to the Stations of the Cross at the local church on Good Friday. My parents weren’t particularly religious but there was huge pressure from school. We always got new clothes for Easter and a roast dinner although to be fair we had a roast every Sunday. And Lent was a big thing too.

HardyKoala · 20/04/2025 12:20

WilfredsPies · 20/04/2025 00:50

What would we be celebrating? We’d be celebrating the biggest date in the Christian calendar. Arguably more important in the Christian faith than Christmas. And even if most of us aren’t particularly religious anymore, the UK has a Christian heritage and Christianity is still the majority faith.

So if you’re a Christian it would be the resurrection of Jesus Christ after he gave his life on the cross so that we could be forgiven for our sins and have eternal life. If not, it would be a time to spend with family, have a lamb roast dinner and eat lots of chocolate. Or just another Sunday.

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55% of people in this country don’t recognise themselves as Christian. Christian’s are a minority now

gingercat02 · 20/04/2025 12:21

We normally have Easter Sunday lunch but not today.
DHabnd I are mid gardening project and DS is at Goals with his mates.
My mum, who would be our usual guest, has been to the dawn service on he seafront and back to church for breakfast so will probably have an afternoon nap.
We will do it tomorrow instead.