Since the middle of March, a lot of milestones have been put on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic. Easter was this past Sunday and many had to celebrate in solitude or only with immediate family due to social distancing. My day was spent very differently than the past 17 Easters in my lifetime.
A holiday like Easter in my household consists of waking up and having a large breakfast with my family. I grew up in a Catholic home, so going to church on this day was a must. We liked to say the sooner the better, but my family always woke up late for early mass. We’d get all dressed up, see family friends at church and take the time to think about everything we were grateful for. And even though my older sisters and I are older now and understand that the Easter bunny isn’t real, my mom still loves holding an Easter egg hunt. Typically, my family ends the day with a big dinner surrounded by aunts, uncles and cousins.
This year, Easter was spent very differently. My household only consisted of my parents, one of older sisters and me. It felt more laid back since we didn’t have time crunches to beat. We made breakfast around one in the afternoon since my sister and I cannot wake up early now to save our lives. Mass for us this year was watched through a screen and was much less crowded than the mass we go to every year. We then proceeded to do family things like going for a walk and playing board games. We also zoomed a couple family members to make it feel more like a holiday, as well as catch up with loved ones we haven’t seen in weeks. The day was more flexible, but I missed the aspect of having the big family holiday we’ve had every other year.
Along with these differences, though, we were able to spend Easter with a greater appreciation for what we have. Being healthy and safe from COVID-19 was a huge blessing my family luckily got to say. The holiday made me realize that even though we are stuck inside and not doing daily tasks like we normally do, everyone is making the best of the pandemic. Normal life tasks are still going on, they just have to be switched up a little bit for the safety of the community.