Our family has never really been big on Easter. We usually have a big summer July 4th or Labor Day BBQ for family and friends; we pull out all the stops for Thanksgiving, whether we’re in the US or in Beijing; when Hanukkah rolls around, we can’t resist all the matzo ball soup recipes and potato latke goodness that pop up on Food Network and in the blogosphere; and Christmas is A Big Deal. Culturally appropriating religious holidays? Check. Who says we can’t have a Christmas tree or a bowl of matzo ball every now and then?
But with all of those other holidays on the calendar, maybe it’s no wonder that by the time Easter rolls around, we’re way too tired to think about ham recipes, Easter eggs, and candy.
That’s not to say that we never dyed Easter eggs when we were a kid, but I will say that we haven’t partaken in Easter festivities since I was 8 or 9 years old. It was fun when we were kids, going to the local Turtle Back Zoo for their annual Easter Egg Hunt, but over the years, the appeal has faded (plus, that Easter Bunny was scary as heck). And nothing puts you off of an Easter egg dye session more than one of those Easter “kits” that cost $15. But we had little experience in dyeing our own eggs, so it was either Easter Egg Kit, or no Easter eggs.
Amidst this crazy winter we’ve been having on the East coast, who would have thought that we’d ever get to April to see the light of day, let alone decorate some Easter eggs? Well we made it to spring, and my roommate, normally an ardent participant in Easter activities, insisted that we do so. And for a few bucks spent on dye and a six-pack of pearly white eggs, it was definitely an excellent and inexpensive end-of-semester stress reliever.
Hope everyone had a fun and happy Easter yesterday!