Easter has never been a huge holiday in my family – certainly not as big as Navidad (Christmas). But I do have many memories of attending mass on Easter Sunday, dressing up, and spending the remainder of the day together as a family. Sometimes we got together with extended family for an Easter meal, and sometimes we spent the rest of our Easter Sunday at home. Either way, I do remember each year going shopping with mami to buy my Easter dress for that year’s holiday and attending mass.

I also remember the Easter story that was always performed during mass. This was actually one of my favorite parts – to see some of the people in our church community acting out the various roles from the Bible and bringing the story of Easter to life.

Over the years, our Easter traditions have changed. Our  involvement with church lessened, even before I got married. As I got older, it  no longer seemed as important to find a new Easter dress. As my brothers got older, married, and our household became smaller, things evolved.

Now that I’m married and with my own children, we haven’t really picked up the traditions either. Or, rather, how we celebrate Easter has changed. Sadly, I admit that we haven’t attended mass on Easter Sunday in many years. I don’t really buy my daughter a fancy Easter dress each year and we barely take pictures with the Easter bunny. I feel like a bad mom when it comes to Easter.

However, we do have an Easter egg hunt, whether at our own house or a local public hunt (sometimes both). We also put together our own Easter baskets and give the kids a personalized basket each and every year. I wish I had taken the time to make this DIY Easter basket, though, but perhaps next year!

In the end, I wonder how much of this is truly important. What will my children remember about Easter? Will they talk about what was missing or focus on the fact that we spent Easter together as a family? Will they remember their Easter baskets and yearly Easter egg hunts?  I hope they remember the positive and appreciate what we did together as a family. I think this is far more important than a bad picture with the mall’s Easter bunny.

How does your family celebrate Easter?

Many thanks to the Hershey’s team for inspiring this post and helping me reminisce on the Easter traditions of our family. Thanks also for the lovely Easter basket sent our way! Check out more Easter memories and tips from other bloggers on the Hershey’s Bunny Trail.

No compensation received for this post. As always, all stories and opinions are my own.

This is a sponsored post.

Growing up in Puerto Rico, I remember Easter being kind of a big deal. We went to mass dressed in our brand new Easter outfits and celebrated amongst family. Though we didn’t have any Easter-specific special dishes for our meal that day, we often did get together with extended family on Easter and shared a traditional Puerto Rican menu with foods such as pernil y arroz con gandules.

What I don’t remember are the traditions of the Easter bunny, receiving Easter baskets, or Easter egg hunts. I did not learn about any of those until we moved to Florida. That is when my parents began to do the Easter baskets for us, well really me, since my brothers were already too old for it.

Something else that changed after we moved to Florida is that we no longer had a big Easter meal with extended family. After going to mass in the morning, the rest of our Easter Sundays were spent much like any other Sunday. I asked my husband, and his family was much the same way. Of course, that means that we are now doing pretty much the same thing with our own family.

Sometimes I actually miss the fact that we got together with extended family and had a traditional Easter meal. I’ve been thinking more and more that we should start the tradition back up. So, perhaps next year, I will give it a try. Of course, keeping with our cultural traditions, the menu will include typical Puerto Rican and Trinidadian foods. Let me share with you what I envision will be served at our Easter meal.

• Pernil – Literally translated as roast pork shoulder, pernil is a staple of Puerto Rican cuisine and can be found on just about everyone’s dinner table for special meals, especially Christmas.
• Arroz con Gandules – This is a very traditional rice for Puerto Ricans. We eat it at most special occasions and family get-togethers. Here is a recipe for how to make arroz con gandules in a rice cooker.
• Potato Salad – I have never made potato salad, but it’s a dish I like quite a bit. It’s probably time I learn how to make it. I found a potato salad recipe on Walmart’s Easter Recipes page that looks simple enough.
• Macaroni Pie – Similar to macaroni and cheese, this is a dish from my husband’s native Trinidad that I’ve come to love. Plus, it’s very easy to make.

Hopefully next year we can celebrate Easter in a larger manner than we’ve been doing. This year, though, we’ll have another relaxed and laid-back day full of family time. No big meal is necessary when you’ve got that.

If you’re still planning your Easter meal, you can get more ideas for your Easter lunch or dinner on the Walmart site. They have a variety of recipes and some cute dessert options – like these flower cupcakes that I know my daughter would love to make with me.

Does your family have a big Easter meal? What do you traditionally serve?

Disclosure:  As a member of the Walmart Moms program, I was compensated for this post. As always, all opinions are my own.