We will start a new tradition at our house this year. We will have an Easter Egg tree. It has great purpose. It will help us count down the 12 days before Easter, all while telling the true story of Easter. How does it work? Starting with egg #12 the kids will open one egg a day for the 12 days before Easter, so that when we reach egg #1 it is the day of Easter. Each day my kids will open an egg and I will read the insert from the egg along with the bible passage indicated on the reading. There will also be a small photo with each scripture reading. I attached raffia ribbon to each of the photos and the eggs, so that the eggs and photos can each be hung on our Easter tree every day. Each day looks like this (but with a different reading and photo):

Much like the advent calendar we use for Christmas I will probably add chocolate candy (perhaps three M&M candies- one for each of my kids) to each of these eggs to make it an even more special tradition, because who doesn’t like chocolate.

So how can you make these yourself? I created printable sheets for you to make them at home for your family! I used free clip art I found online. I created the 12 readings from the bible. Here they are for you below as well as the photos you insert with the appropriate day (on the 12th day there is no photo in the egg, as the tomb is empty and Jesus has risen):

Step 1: Print the free printable I posted above. These are the exact ones I created and used for mine. Once you print these, the sheets should look like this:

Step 2. Next you will cut them up. I laminated my pieces to ensure that they remain in tact for years to come. You don’t have to do the same, but you can also print on cardstock to make them sturdier than regular paper. Here is my pile of cut up pieces that will go into the eggs:

Step 3: Label 12 plastic eggs #1-#12. I used a sharpie permanent marker. I purchased the “jumbo eggs” from Hobby Lobby. They were slightly larger than the regular sized eggs I have purchased previously at the Dollar Tree and Target. I wanted slightly larger on my egg tree. I made Resurrection Egg sets for friends this year and used regular sized eggs and they worked just fine as well.

Step 4: I attached raffia ribbon to the eggs. I noticed that most plastic eggs come with 2 holes (or more) at the top. This makes it easy to string and hang them up. I used raffia because I could spilt it down the middle to make it thin enough to fit through the holes. Raffia is straw like ribbon. See photos below:

I also used a hole punch and the raffia on the small pictures I printed to insert into the eggs, so they could be hung on the tree.

Now that you are finished you can pack up your eggs with the readings, photos, and candy so you will be ready for Easter. I purchased a lighted tree at Hobby Lobby that we will use as our Easter Tree. Here is how it looks with the eggs and pictures hung on it. I will probably add some Easter decorations to our tree to make it even more festive. Hobby Lobby and Michaels always have fun things for the Holidays. I will have to take Brielle there to pick some things out for our new Easter tree.

Step 5: Your eggs are all ready to be used! Pack your eggs with the same number scripture/ reading for that day . There will also be a small photo that goes with days 1-11. Insert the scripture for that particular day with the matching photo.

Here is the list of the photo and which day/egg # they go into:

1. Donkey
2. Purple perfume bottle
3. Jesus and the Disciples at the Last Supper
4. Coins
5. The Cross
6. Crown of Thorns
7. Soldiers grouped together “casting lots” (gambling) for Jesus’ clothes
8. Nail
9. Sponge
10. Spices
11. Stone in front of the tomb
12. No picture, as Jesus was resurrected

How to Pack Your Eggs Example: For day 1 (which is the day you begin with, as day 12 is the resurrection) you will use the egg with the #1 on it. Inside the egg you will insert scripture/reading #1 along with the picture of the donkey. I add a few pieces of candy to the egg (1 piece per child in the family) and then close up the egg and place it in the basket.

For 2016 you will begin using the eggs on March 16th, starting with egg #1. I have my eggs already loaded up and placed in a basket next to our egg tree. You don’t have to use an egg tree, what is most important is that you open an egg each day, read the scripture/insert and talk about the photo inside the egg. The candy is a bonus for the kids to make it a festive, holiday experience (much like we do with Christmas and isn’t Easter just as important, if not MORE important to make it special for our kids to remember?).  You will open 1 egg per day, do the reading, talk about the picture and its significance to the story, and then either hang the egg and/or photo from the egg on the tree (if you put string or ribbon on yours) or you put them into a separate basket (so you have fewer eggs in your basket each day as a symbolic countdown to Easter). Day #12 is Easter. Inside the egg for #12 should only be the scripture reading and no photo, since Jesus is risen.

Happy Easter and God Bless!