We all know that there are some holidays and events that just aren't the same at college as they were at home. Easter is one of those holidays. Even though you've been at college almost all year and through two different seasons, there are just some things from home you can't duplicate.
1. Food.
The cafeteria may try, but the food at college will never be as good as what your mom usually makes. She may be up for twenty-four hours straight cooking her seventeen dishes, but the result is always well worth it. While the amazing staff at college may do their best to provide some type of Easter meal, it will never come close to Mama's.
2. Church.
You may love your church at college, but nothing will ever beat going to your home church and getting to see all of the new faces on Easter morning. You get to see the new dresses, the new people, and most importantly the new hats. Easter is definitely the best day of the year to see what hats the ladies at your church have uncovered this year.
3. The amount of chocolate you receive.
Your hall mates and your friends may be kind enough to slip some candy under your door, but nothing will beat the amount of chocolate your mom was capable of stuffing into a basket. Somehow your mom always magically managed to squeeze about ten pounds of chocolate into an Easter basket for you and still have it look so gorgeous that you almost didn't want to open it.
4. Finding the perfect Easter dress.
Many of us enjoy the tradition of embarking on a search for the perfect Easter dress (or suit if you're a guy). Then when the day finally comes, it's always so nice to see what beautiful dresses everyone else found and to hear their compliments about your own dress. Now that we are in college however, we're just happy that we made it to church on Easter Sunday considering all of the work our teachers assigned over the break.
5. Dying eggs with your family.
Another tradition you wait for all year long is getting to dye eggs with your family. It smells funny, your fingers get stained, and no one ever eats the colorful finished product, but it's a tradition everyone enjoys doing together. You can go into your dorm kitchen and try to recreate the experience with your friends, but somehow it's not the same without your Mom giving the instructions and your Dad not helping very much. And let's be honest, crafting with the family is always fun.
6. Celebrating the end of Lent.
This is another area that is always better with your family. Your friends at school may choose to give up something for Lent, but the majority of the people you know at college are not giving anything up. Your family members were always the ones who would make it through the longest forty days ever with you and would then proceed to celebrate the end of giving things up in style.
7. Having to fight through seven layers of Easter grass to get to any of your chocolates.
We all appreciate the time and effort Mom put into making the best Easter basket ever. Half of the fun involved in getting an Easter basket comes when you get to play with all of the plastic Easter grass. It serves no actual purpose, but it does provide a fair amount of entertainment and a large mess when you get to throw it around the house. Meanwhile at college this Easter, you'll be lucky if you have a Ziploc bag to your name, let alone any fun and pointless wrapping decorations.
8. Getting to celebrate the resurrection of Christ with your amazing family.
Finally, Easter is one of the best times of the year because it is a celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. There is nothing quite like celebrating the resurrection of our Savior with your family. So please go and celebrate at college, but remember the true reason behind the holiday and be thankful for the truth that He is alive!
