An Alternative to the Traditional Easter Dinner
Rather than a stuffy, sit down dinner, my family celebrates Oestra style. Easter has linkages to the pagan holiday Oestra, which is officially celebrated at the spring equinox. The trappings of Oestra are bunches flowers, dyed eggs, rabbits, and bonfires.
1. Start the Day with a Bouquet
The day starts with fresh flowers. I always put a vase of tulips on the kitchen table the night before so I wake up to the freshness of spring and can enjoy looking at them while I assemble Easter Baskets and cook breakfast. As far as I'm concerned the purpose of the Easter Basket is to give kids something to eat and keep them out from under your feet in the morning. I scoff at traditional Easter Basket filler and instead choose things that the kids can eat in lue of breakfast and lunch.
2. Add Healthy Easter Basket Filler
Coffee Drinks or tea
100% Juice beverage
fresh fruit (kiwi, strawberry, clementine's, grapes, bananas, pears, etc)
Cheese
Crackers
Jerky
nuts
dried fruit
2 Boiled eggs
Two Fresh out of the oven muffins
1 chocolate bunny
1 Poopie-Duck (This is a handmade knitted duck with a drawstring butt, filled with Jelly beans.)
non-food item (This year its an iTunes card, arm guard, and a book)
3. Hunt up some Eggs
After the kids have eaten from their baskets, chores are done, and the car packed; it's off to Grandma & Grandpa's. My brother and I try to time it so we arrive at our parents all close together as possible since my father has already hidden the eggs for the "HUNT". The kids get ushered inside where they press themselves to the windows to scout out eggs and derive their plan of attack while waiting for a car full of cousins to arrive. Once everyone is there grandpa shouts "go" and seven kids explode from the front and back doors in search of the 3 dozen eggs hidden on the farm. Once the eggs are found, they are turned over to a communal bowl to be turned into deviled eggs.
4. Go outside!
After the "HUNT" the kids ride horses, shoot guns, practice their archery, look for arrowheads, go horn hunting, or depending on the year, cross-country skiing. The important part is they are outside. We don't bother with lunch because all the kids are still packing their baskets.
5. Do some Yard Work
It's amazing how easily kids can be conned into yard work under the pretense of piling stuff up to burn. Downed limbs, old leaves, broken boards, anything that had been hiding under the snow all winter is now game to be gathered up and burned and with all those extra hands it doesn't take long before the farm looks great and the pile is substantial. Any time after 4 PM the kids will be ready to light the fire; using a little black powder and some gasoline the ceremonial fire starts with a "whooomph!" Then it's wiener stick all around!
6. Have a Weiner Roast with an easy Potluck Menu:
Hotdogs (We use smokies, which are hotdogs on steroids.)
Buns
Condiments
Potato Salad
Macaroni salad
Green Salad
Fruit tray (with lots of watermelon)
Veggie Tray
Chips
Salsa or dip
Rhubarb Pie
Strawberry Shortcake
Everyone's favorite beverage
After the sun goes down the kids are back at the fire, this time with marshmallows and s'more fixings.
At the end of the day the kids are happy, dirty, but happy; the hostess is happy, tired, but happy. (And because we used paper plates which were added to the fire after serving their purpose there are few if any dishes to do!) I can't think of a better way to spend Easter, can you?
