Day of the Dead is one of our family's favorite holidays and for good reason!

El Día de lost Muertos is the perfect way to celebrate and remember your ancestors.

Our kids find that the holiday is also a great way to pay tribute to relatives that have died in their lifetime as well.

My husband loves the holiday as it reminds him of the years he lived in Mexico.

I love Day of the Dead because there's so much flexibility in how it can be celebrated.

Day of the Dead: How We Celebrate

How to Learn About Day of the Dead

When our kids were younger and we wanted to introduce the Day of the Dead to them, we created a beautiful bundle that included everything they may want to know and understand about the holiday.

You can enjoy this bundle as well!

Day of the Dead Mini Bundle

The Day of the Dead Mini Bundle is Montessori-inspired with beautiful non-scary, true-to-life images.

Once the kids learned and understood everything there was to know about the holiday, they decided they wanted to create their own ofrenda.

We don't have a lot of room in our home, so instead of giving them each a table or using our dining room table, I gave them each a shelf.

This worked out perfectly.

Each child selected two ancestors they wanted to honor.

They researched as much as they could about each person and even interviewed extended family in some cases.

All wanted to be sure they included everything they possibly could on the ofrenda. 

Our Day of the Dead Ofrenda

Almost all our decorations came from the local dollar store, but some did come from Amazon.

The kids took the day to prepare food, specifically favorite dishes of their ancestors and special food for the Day of the Dead.

They made sure to find frames for pictures of each ancestor.

Each person was celebrated with special additions to the ofrenda representing ancestor's favorite things.

One child added my husband's grandparents to our ofrenda. 

His great grandmother was a nurse in WWII. 

She met her husband, who was a soldier stationed in her country. 

Her husband loved great music and was a huge fan of baseball.

Another child celebrated my grandparents. 

My grandmother was known for her pies and her love of cards and board games.

Grandpa was known for his love of popcorn (which he passed on to me) and Snickers bars. He loved bowling and had quite a collection of hats.

The third child at home celebrated my great grandmother and my aunt who died as a child. (She was hit by a car.)

My great grandmother was known for her mashed potatoes and gravy while entertaining. 

The gravestone at my aunt's burial place has a lamb on it. She loved dolls and wrote poetry. 

Each year we add more relatives that have passed to our ofrenda. 

When Sunshine is home, we use a set of four shelves in our living room, to ensure each child has their own shelf to decorate.

Day of the Dead Recipes

As part of our Day of the Dead Celebration we also prepare a delicious Mexican meal that everyone in the house enjoys.

You can check out some of our favorite recipes below.

Mexican Oatmeal Recipe from Broke Bank Vegan

Vegan Pozole from Mexican Made Meatless

Gluten Free Pan de Muerto from G-Free Foodie

Calabaza en Tacha from Isabel Eats

We also enjoy watching the movie Coco with a delicious Mexican dessert. 

The celebration of the Day of the Dead is something everyone in the family looks forward to each year.

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