Celebrate Easter
Easter isn't the largest holiday of the year, but sometimes it seems like it should be. There are dozens of great reasons to celebrate Easter for 'kids' of all ages, and food is not the least.
Easter is like Christmas in Spring, only better since the weather is better. It provides many opportunities to place some flower vases or planters around the house to bring the outdoor cheer indoors. It's also a great time to give a gift of flowers to cure any lingering winter blues.
Once the decorations are all up, you'll be in the mood to plan that Easter egg hunt. Preparing the eggs is easy and a terrific opportunity for creativity. You can spend hours dreaming up and executing designs. Then it's on to the hunt itself...
Like handing out candy on Halloween, this part of Easter can be as much fun for the grownups as it is for the kids. Not only do you get to enjoy making some interesting maps and puzzles for the kids to solve, but it's great to watch their eyes light up when they come upon a great find.
Easter isn't just for young children, either. It does present a chance to give those kids some gifts, which is especially good if birthdays are far off. Christmas may seem like a long time ago to them. But gifts for grownup 'kids' are just as good. A personalized sweater will still be appreciated this time of year.
And what about the goodies?!
Young and old alike will make those Easter treats disappear before you know it. There are fine chocolates for sale everywhere, for sure. But you can also make your own treats and the family will heap praise on your efforts.
While you're in the kitchen don't forget about that outstanding Easter breakfast recipes for a fine breakfast coffee cakes are not hard to find. If you have the time and inclination, a superior breakfast strata only takes a little while to prepare.
Later, you'll want to ease back into the kitchen to make some superior Easter bread. This ancient food is a fine symbol of the holiday and equally pleasing to the modern palate. Select some recipes from around the world and make something new to go with the old.
While you're in the kitchen, make your life easier and whip up an easy-to-make Easter dinner. Whether you go for the traditional ham or roast lamb, or strike out in new directions, the family meal on this occasion will never be better. After all the effort of preparing gifts, planning the Easter egg hunt and so forth, you'll be ready for something simple.
As a reward for all that work, a few fine Easter drinks are in order. Whether you prefer a simple but stellar red wine or a fine liqueur, put your feet up and treat yourself. Some champagne might even be the perfect beverage to celebrate a day that was the perfect holiday for all.
Who says Christmas is the only family holiday that's fun for everyone? Celebrate Easter!
Planning Your Easter Egg Hunt
The tradition of Easter egg hunts goes back centuries in one form or another. As a symbol of fertility and new birth, eggs planted around the home bring to mind the rebirth of Spring. Incorporate that same feeling of joy into your hunt to make it fun for the whole family.
To generate the most fun, decorate the house in a festive style. Finding eggs is great, but sprucing up the home inside and out can really create a holiday feeling. Place a few colorful bouquets of flowers in nice vases and planters on the tables. Hang an Easter wreath on the door. Put some tall stalks hung with Easter bunnies in the yard.
Before hiding any eggs or baskets, you'll have to decide which kind of eggs to use and what should be in the baskets.
Eggs can be either real or artificial, or both. Real eggs provide all the fun of decorating. Parent and child can spend a great time together making up and executing all kinds of interesting designs at very low cost. Artificial eggs have the advantage of saving some time and being filled with all sorts of delightful little surprises. Eggs can contain chocolates, jewelry and much more.
Similarly, baskets can be filled with just about anything that will fit. Everything from miniature flashlights to puppies or kittens have made their way into the baskets for kids to find. Stuffed or chocolate bunnies, magic tricks or games, or a thousand other little items bring joy to young hearts.
You can enhance the fun by making the basket the first thing to find. There are a hundred creative ways to do that. Drawing a little maze for them to navigate is one way. Providing treasure hunt-style clues is another. But don't draw out this first phase too long. You want to move on to the egg hunt fairly soon or frustration may set in.
Once the 'hunter' has basket in hand, the fun really begins. A mixture of easy-to-find eggs with those that present a challenge provides a good balance. Easy to find items give the young ones incentive to continue, since they see rewards right away. But those that take a little more time and effort help draw out the game like an interesting movie in which they're eager to discover what comes next.
If you're planning a hunt for multiple children your skills as an Easter egg hunt planner will be tested. That's part of the fun for you! There are several ways to carry that task out successfully.
You can give different kids different sets of clues that only they follow. With guides known only to them, the odds of another finding treats intended for them are low. You can also provide for a little friendly competition in one phase by bringing the two paths together. Knowing which method to follow, and to what degree, just depends on the individual personality, age and skills of the children in the hunt.
Plan your Easter egg hunt well rather than just have a free for all where everyone searches randomly. The kids will have much more fun, and so will you as you watch their path to success.