Time to get EGG-cited!

People everywhere are starting to put more creativity into holiday celebrations that ever before. (I blame Pinterest.) Easter is no exception. Growing up, I think I looked forward to wearing a hat to church more than anything. Now kids practically celebrate the entire month with Easter bunny pictures, school activities, extreme egg dying, hiding chocolate coins for the Easter bunny and even more activities I have never heard of before, plus candy candy candy!

With all the Easter chaos, having your family gathered together for group activities might make it worth it after all. Dying eggs for Easter is a long-standing tradition that is fun for family members of all ages.

Every year, Americans dye and decorate more than 180 million eggs during the Easter season.

History of Dying Eggs

The Easter egg tradition started by merging with the celebration of the final provisions of Lent. Historically, eggs were forbidden during Lent, but chickens continued to lay eggs. Eggs would have been hard-boiled so they wouldn’t go to waste. This began the tradition of decorating eggs and feasting on egg-filled meals during the time of Easter. Symbolically, the hard shell of the egg represented the sealed Tomb of Christ — the cracking of which symbolized his resurrection from the dead.

Egg Dying & Decorating Ideas

Like I said earlier, with the rise of Pinterest, there are more ideas out there for dying and decorating eggs than ever before.

• 1. Wrap eggs in rubber bands to create stripes of white or colors (fully dye the egg first, then rubber band and dye again).
• 2. Simply use markers to decorate. (Great for small kids who might not be ready for the ‘mess’.)
• 3. Add leaf designs or other paper cut outs by placing them flat on the egg. Then tie a thin layer of panty hose around the egg securely. After you dye it, remove the hose and the leaf and you’ll have a beautiful leaf design.
• 4. Apply colors with paint brushes and other household items: q-tips, cotton balls, old tooth brushes, etc.
• 5. Use old embroidery thread to dye your eggs. Take some tin foil, place a wet egg inside, cover with thread and boil for 20minutes.
• Use a crayon to add words, designs or patterns (any color, it will be removed) to your hard-boiled egg. Then place them on an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet in an oven preheated to 250 degrees. After about 10 minutes, the wax will start to melt. Remove eggs from oven, and hold in a paper towel as you wipe off the wax. (via Martha Stewart)

Tip: Apply a thin coat of vegetable oil to make eggs shine.

What to Do With Dyed Eggs?

Once you have a plethora of beautiful eggs, what do you do with them? Sure you can hide them for kids, but why not use the very best ones to add to your spring decor? Order a basket of Easter flowers from your local florist and simply add the colorful eggs to the base of the arrangement (similar to the arrangement above). Although Easter will be over, you can look at your springtime arrangement and think of all the fun time you spent dying the eggs with you and your family.

You can also take these special arrangements to family members who might not be able to make it. Don’t forget to add a special Easter Card Message.

Easter garden arrangement above by Crossroads Florist, Mahwah NJ