7 Ways to Celebrate the Easter Octave as a Family, From Feasting to Flowers, by Debbie Cowden

Have you ever noticed that the Church spends 50 days rejoicing for Easter? It makes sense for us to go all-in, maximizing that time celebrating Christ’s victory over death. It is such a triumphant victory, it could not possibly be contained in a single day! Christ is risen, indeed! Here are seven ways your family can celebrate Easter more fully, especially during the first eight days:

1. Fill your home with fresh flowers. Though my husband has blessed me with a beautiful garden full of roses, hydrangea, tulips, daffodils, gigantic peonies and all sorts of other flowers, we resist the temptation to bring cuttings into our home until Easter (it’s a major mortification for me, especially when Easter falls later in the spring!). However, come Easter Sunday, our house comes to life with the fresh aroma of fragrant spring blooms. This mirrors the drastic change in decorations within parishes, and since our family is a domestic church, the flowers represent the transformation in our home as well. Whether you’re cutting flowers from the garden or bringing them home from the store, you’ll immediately notice the difference. ….