Preparing an at-Home Easter

While COVID-19 remains top of mind for many New Yorkers, Easter is a reminder to look forward to better days ahead.

Straus News put together some tips for celebrating while staying in to #stopthespread.

Treat Yourself, or Others

Fun fact: The Easter Bunny is immune to coronaviruses. Local retailer Chelsea Market Baskets (www.chelseamarketbasket.com) offers seasonal chocolate treats starting at $14 and custom baskets starting at $59. All orders ship via UPS. Consider sending one to an essential employee in your life or organizing an indoor Easter egg hunt with your roommates.

Other Manhattan sweet spots delivering the goods include Milk Bar (www.milkbarstore.com), Levain Bakery (call 877-453-8246) and Dominique Ansel (call 212-219-2773). All three also deliver locally through www.trycaviar.com.

Add Music

Easter, with its message of life and rebirth, has inspired some of classical music’s best pieces. Check YouTube for recordings of your favorites. Two great options include the 1956 recording of the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel’s “Messiah” performed by the New York Philharmonic with Leonard Bernstein conducting and the original 1971 Broadway cast recording of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s rock opera “Jesus Christ Superstar.”

For more modern tastes, Worship Together has compiled a lengthy roster of Christian contemporary songs for its Easter 2020 playlist. To listen, download the Spotify app on your smartphone, computer or tablet and search for “Worship Together.”

Don a Bonnet

While the annual Easter parade up Fifth Avenue doesn’t comply with current social distancing recommendations, being stuck at home is no reason to skip the frills. Sites like Pinterest offer tutorials on how to create your own show-stopping toppers for children and adults alike, while the blog Mad Hatters NYC (www.madhattersnyc.com) offers great bonnet inspiration from Easter parades past.

Less crafty hat seekers might consider turning to local artisan Orlando Palacios of Worth & Worth for clean lines and timeless designs. While the boutique at 50 East 57th Street is closed, the shop is taking orders online at www.hatshop.com.

Tune In

New York City churches will offer an Easter livestream to suit everyone come April 12.

Christ Church, a United Methodist congregation on the Upper East Side, posts its Sunday Worship Service videos and program PDFs online at 6 a.m. each week. Visit www.christchurchnyc.online to watch.

Midtown’s Calvary Baptist Church will broadcast its Easter service live via its Facebook page (www.facebook.com/CalvaryBaptistNYC) at 9:30 a.m.

St. Patrick’s Cathedral — which has been streaming Catholic mass since the Archdiocese of New York canceled services on March 14 — will air its Easter Sunday Solemn Mass at 10 a.m. (www.saintpatrickscathedral.org/live).

The Episcopal Cathedral of St. John the Divine will broadcast its service at 11 a.m. via its website (www.stjohndivine.org) and Facebook LIVE. The Right Reverend Andrew ML Dietsche, Bishop of New York, is scheduled to deliver the sermon.