As the Easter holiday fast approaches, you are probably facing church events, group events or at least the prospect of a family gathering to celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord. Any one of these is an occasion in which you may be called upon to come up with an appropriate table decoration or centerpiece.
While plastic eggs and chocolate bunnies make for a fun part of the celebration, you probably don’t want to make them the focus of your table display. On the other hand, you don’t have to rack your brain or empty your pocketbook in order to create a tasteful anchor for the holiday table either. Keeping it simple and keeping it intentional is all that is required.
Of course a huge part of our Easter celebration is remembrance of the cross. The suffering of Christ is an integral part of the joyful chorus on Easter Sunday. One way to keep the cross of Christ central to your Easter celebration is to incorporate wooden crosses into your display.
Wooden crosses can be stood upright in florist foam covered with decorative moss
to resemble Golgotha. Often a large center cross is flanked by two smaller crosses. The cross of Jesus is sometimes draped with purple cloth to represent the grave clothes Jesus left behind when he arose from the grave. Then, set the three mounds and crosses in a large serving tray. This simple tableau tells the Easter story and keeps the focus on our Lord.
Wooden crosses can also be made from rough twigs you might find in your yard. Bind the twigs with jute or twine to create the rough-hewn appearance of a cross made by men. You can make crosses large enough to sit at the center of the table, or you may make smaller wooden crosses to be placed at each table setting. Writing place cards beside each cross with the words Jesus died and rose again for and then the person’s name can be meaningful.
Another way to highlight the cross in your table display is to use sprigs of blossoming dogwood along with a story of the Legend of the Dogwood. The legend is not a biblical truth, but it is another way to keep the cross as your focal point. In case you are not familiar with the story, it is said that the blossoms, which appear around Easter time, are in the shape of a cross with a red nail print marking each petal and a crown of thorns in the center.
Since the Resurrection is the promise of new life in Christ, it is also appropriate to create centerpieces that reflect this truth. Bird nests with eggs placed atop candlesticks or spring florals potted into colored egg shells can be symbols of our new life in Jesus.
You can use your imagination to think of other ways to make your table both lovely and faith-filled. If you are looking for Easter decorations for your table or other Easter holiday supplies, check out The Printery House. We have a large selection of beautiful items that can help you to share your faith at Easter and every day.