The Best Ideas for Celebrating Easter Safely During the Pandemic

By: Sara Skirboll, Trends and Shopping Expert at RetailMeNot 

1. Celebrate with at-home restaurant deals.

According to a 2020 National Retail Federation study, nearly four out of five adults celebrate Easter, and due to COVID-19, many will celebrate the occasion at home. To help make sure the day is still special, several restaurants are offering Easter takeout options and specials to alleviate having to cook. These include The Capital Grille, Eddie V’s Prime Seafood, Seasons 52, Olive Garden, Bahama Breeze and Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen.

Related: 32 Restaurants With Easter Delivery and Takeout Deals

2. Decorate paper Easter eggs.

Decorating eggs is a classic Easter tradition! But this year, money might be tight for some families, and wasting good eggs with dye is not ideal. Instead, think about printing out eggs that kids can use crayons and markers to decorate. You can draw on flat paper, order pre-decorated ones that you can hang, or make 3-D eggs out of paper!

To go a step further, kids can “hide” the paper eggs on the windows of your house and coordinate families taking turns looking around the neighborhood on foot, bikes or cars to spot the paper eggs. Winner gets bragging rights!

Related: 18 Easter Crafts & Treats That Are Oh-So Adorbs

3. Set up a virtual family gathering on Easter Sunday.

Even if we can’t get together with our family and friends this year, you can still see them! It’s pretty easy to set up a group video call on Zoom, Facebook Messenger, FaceTime, Skype or Google Hangouts. When you have everyone there, the group can play a fun Easter-themed game like Bingo with printable sheets. You can also have everyone dress up in their favorite Easter outfits (bonus points for cute bunny ears!) and vote on a winner!

4. Make and send Easter cards to family and friends.

Everyone loves getting cards in the mail, and it’s so much fun to design and create them yourself! Easter cards are super easy to make with so many printable cards available online in many different patterns and colors. If you want to get really creative, use Washi tape, cardstock, scissors and any other decorative items to create works of art to spread the Easter cheer!

5. Livestream a virtual Easter church service.

If you typically go to Sunday mass on Easter, there are ways to still participate without having to leave the house. Many churches and faith organizations have been hosting online services during the pandemic. Check with your local place of worship (it’s usually listed on their website or on YouTube), and you can stream on sites like StreamingChurch.tv and Dacast.

Also, because heading to Italy isn’t in the cards, know that you can stream Easter mass in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican from your couch. Pope Francis will host mass on Sunday, April 4, at 11 a.m. in Rome, or 5 a.m. EST. You can watch the service on the Vatican’s website or through the Vatican Media Youtube Channel.

Category: covid19, Easter, quarantine