Easter Eggs – Eat or Toss

Easter was a joyous holiday in my house while I was growing up. We boiled and decorated Easter Eggs with food coloring a few days before Easter every year. Once they were all festive, we put them in the refrigerator until Easter. The Easter Bunny hid the eggs early in the morning, and my sister and I hunted them right after we woke up so they were still cold. After we counted the eggs to make certain we had them all, we put them back in the fridge.

Imagine my surprise when I got married and discovered that my new family never ate their Easter Eggs. The eggs were boiled, decorated, hidden, hunted, and then the kids were allowed to play with them for a while before they were tossed in the trash can. I was completely and utterly appalled by the wastefulness of it. Throwing out good food goes against the most fundamental principles my parents worked so hard to instill in me. I stopped coloring eggs with the kids when I discovered they would not be consumed and bought plastic eggs that I filled with coins, candy, and little toys. My step-kids told me that they didn’t really like decorating eggs and preferred the stuffed plastic ones, anyway. Plastic eggs were fun all year. My step-son loved hiding his Hot Wheels in them and having my husband and I open the eggs to find his surprise. My step-daughter found them handy for hiding money that she didn’t want her brother to know she had.

What’s your Easter Egg tradition?

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