Photo credit: JESHOOTS.com
Hippity Hoppity, Easter is on it’s way! I love spring, when I can open the widows and let the fresh air in, see the trees and plants coming into bloom, and feel that renewing sense of potential and excitement.
We don’t actually celebrate Easter, but we do celebrate the spring equinox, which shares a lot of the same (or similar) symbolism with Easter. Eggs, fresh grass, bunnies, and chicks are all part and parcel of the celebration, but it has become something other than what the original celebration was all about. It’s about fertility, growth, and a renewed sense of optimism (at least, for me it is).
Go to any store and you would think that it’s Christmas, part 2. Plastic Easter baskets filled with plastic grass, topped off with cheap toys and candy, all wrapped up in a plastic bag line the shelves. We’ve become so engrossed in the “what did you get” that we’ve forgotten about the “how do you feel”. I would like to suggest that we return to a simpler celebration that would include time with friends and family, time to revisit our goals, and simple appreciation for the gifts of the season.
Here are a few things that we can do to lessen our impact on the planet, reconnect with simple traditions, and honor the season:
Choose real eggs over plastic.
Go to the farmer’s market and pick up a couple dozen farm fresh eggs and dye them using natural dyes. You’ll learn how to use natural dyes, which can be used for other purposes, support the local economy, and have the most delicious eggs ever. You can even get really fancy and blow them out with an egg blower and save them for next year! I’ve had this one for years and love it. Another alternative is to use wooden eggs. You can paint them and save them, using them year after year. These could potentially become cherished items, passed on through the generations too.
Forgo the plastic grass.
Choose something that can be reused or repurposed. Scarves, vintage doilies, or vintage hankies would look so pretty in a basket and can be useful after nestling the delicate eggs. You can also just use real grass. Just pull some up, stuff the basket, and then compost it later. The bonus with this is that it’s free!
Choose a real basket.
You could either reuse this year after year, or, if you choose a more neutral one, you’ll be able to use it for all kinds of things. I have a basket that served as an Easter basket and traveled with us from San Diego, but now I use it to collect eggs from our chickens. I didn’t have to go out and get a specific basket for collecting eggs, it’s very useful, and it’s cute too.
Visit a farm instead of gifting bunnies or chicks.
Not only would this be a really fun activity for the entire family, you’ll save yourself the headache of eventually having to rehome the bunny or chick, once it’s grown and the cuteness has worn off. Many farms loving giving tours, especially in the spring when there is new life everywhere. Some even have farm-to-table dinners, which would be the perfect end to a perfect day.
Choose locally-raised and grown food for your feast.
If you’re in the city, your best bet is probably a visit to your farmer’s market. You’ll find all kinds of seasonal treats, like ramps, fiddleheads, lamb, flowers, etc. Talk to the farmer and ask where they are located, making sure that he really is local. Some vendors at farmer’s markets just buy from wherever and sell it, letting the customer assume that it’s local. You might end up with a smaller meal, but really, this isn’t about the meal, it’s about the celebration of the season. If you’re lucky, you might even be able to find wild onions (chives) and mushrooms if you’re into foraging!
Create something beautiful.
In celebration of the season, make a wreath of locally gathered items. I love a simple, moss-covered wreath with a big bow on it. Create decorations made of materials that can be composted, or better yet, make it so that you can use year after year, like the cute little bunny picks pictured here.
There are a lot of different things that you can do to create a sustainable, simple, and beautiful Easter holiday, but it’s more important to start. Do just one thing and see how it makes you feel. I guarantee that you’ll get a little smile inside, like a light that says, “thank you for caring.” They’re such simple, easy changes, but that’s how we create bigger change, one Easter celebration at a time.
Read the original article HERE.
Tatia Elizabeth Childers is a certified sustainability consultant, radical homemaker, unschooler, doTERRA wellness advocate, and homesteader. She is also the admin for Toward Zero Waste Haywood County, NC Facebook group. Her background in alternative and natural medicine, preparedness, self-reliance, environmental science, and domestic history are the backbone of her life of zero-waste, sustainability, non-consumerism, and environmental responsibility. She has studied environmental issues, natural medicine, preparedness, and domestic history for the better part of 30 years and it is her journey to share the knowledge of how the health of one’s environment affects human health with her community. She offers classes, workshops, presentations, and courses on a variety of subjects that is she is passionate about, as well as consultations and mentorships. She is the mother of 4, plus one bonus son. She is married to her beloved, a retired Navy veteran and on the board of a local non-profit, Women of Waynesville. She received her BA in health & wellness with an emphasis on environmental science and domestic history from Purdue Global University in 2019. She can be reached at https://smokymountainhomestead.wordpress.com/ or smokymountainhomestead@gmail.com.
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