Easter 101

With Easter quickly approaching, I thought that I would take some time today to provide you with a few tips and ideas to make this celebration the best it can be. Of course, every family has its own Easter traditions, so feel free to adapt these tips as needed.

First, it wouldn't be Easter without some attention being paid to the Easter Bunny. And though I do despair at the thought of all those children growing up (as I did) thinking that rabbits - being mammals as they are – are out there building nests and laying eggs made of chocolate, jelly, and various pastel candies like some sort of living, breathing confectionary shops, (Or perhaps more to the point, I despair at the thought of those same children one day finding out that those clusters of chocolate-brown balls left in the corners of their pet rabbits' cages are not, in fact, Peanut M&Ms, but something far less tasty...) I do believe that the Easter Bunny is now an integral part of the Easter holiday. And as such, we must now prepare decorative Easter baskets filled with candy, colored eggs, and toys to set out for all the children to find on Easter morning.

However, I also believe that all this Easter Bunny business is not just about spoiling your children rotten with excessive amounts of candy and toys. Rather, I take it as a learning opportunity to not only teach your children something factually true about rabbits, but also about food and healthy eating. For instance, why not teach your children a bit about a rabbit's true diet? Though the Easter Bunny is somehow able to churn out chocolate turds, he still eats like a true rabbit. So why not teach your children how to make a garden salad for the Easter Bunny to enjoy when he stops by? Not only will they be learning a healthy recipe, but should you get hungry in the middle of the night and need a pre-Easter snack, there will be a healthy treat for you (the Easter Bunny) to enjoy.

Second, feel free to get creative with the menu. Unlike Thanksgiving, the Easter tradition is far less rigid when it comes to what foods to serve. So be open to trying new things. But I would keep a couple things in mind when drafting that Easter menu.

• Not everything has to be shaped like an egg
  
  
• Think fresh and young – fresh vegetables and young animals (like lamb or veal) are usually preferable
  
  
• Never serve rabbit of any kind

And third, an Easter egg hunt is a requisite part of hosting any Easter party, so be certain to paint lots of eggs. Of course, if you are using the Easter egg hunt as an excuse to get the children out of your hair, then be certain to paint the eggs a nice shade of camo-green. Then, you can easily hide the eggs (well out of the children's reach, of course) throughout the garden, lawn, and/or forest.

Happy Easter!