Family holidays don’t aren’t just get-togethers; these traditional meals also feed our souls. That’s why it’s so important to keep up our traditions even when life is decidedly not normal. This year—or any year when you can’t get the whole family together to celebrate Easter—you can still come together for a virtual spring gathering. Thanks to the magic of Zoom, Skype, Google Hangouts, Houseparty, or whatever your favorite videochat app is, you can observe the occasion with grandma at her place, your siblings across the country, and your college roommate wherever she may be. Here’s how:
Come Together
–Send an invitation. Paperless Post and Evite both offer virtual Easter cards inviting everyone to hop online and meet you on the bunny trail in cyberspace. Include dial-in info, and check everyone’s schedule first in case they plan on live-streaming a church service before or after the brunch, lunch, or dinner.
–Make a guest list! There are plenty of seats at a virtual table; invite all your second cousins, friends, co-workers, and anyone who might be spending the holiday alone.
–DIT! My take on DIY is to Do It Together—that’s true of the holiday itself and the preparations leading up to it. Whether you’re cooking or crafting, you can still do it together over Zoom or Google hangout; your aunt could lead a cooking class, you can follow an online egg-dyeing demo, but whatever it is, it’s more fun and meaningful to do it together.
Follow Your Traditions
–Serve up memories. You may not have access to grandma’s tablecloth, but you can serve some of your favorite dishes. Whether you’re a ham family or a lamb family, email around a recipe so that everyone can make the same standout or side dish. You might all follow the same recipe—you’re aunt’s scalloped potatoes or one of Martha Stewart’s Easter hams, or Nigella Lawson’s Leg of Lamb or Nancy Fuller’s braised lamb. You can also order the same dishes from a delivery catering menu such as Fresh Direct’s Easter dinners for 4-8. And if you’re making a large recipe, you can drop off care packages for friends and family who live nearby.
–Get creative with coloring eggs. Whether you’re working with a kit, using food coloring or onion skins, coloring them with crayons or Sharpies, or adding on stickers (before or after dying), it’s fun to craft at the same time. Or, save the video chat for after when you can admire each other’s creations.
–Save the eggs for lunch! If you don’t want to hide the real thing, you can still take part in the tradition with our paper egg template. Download the color version or black and white to fill in yourself (or have the littlest bunnies color them in while you’re preparing). There are also blank versions so you can design the patterns yourself.
–Let the hunt begin! Paper eggs are an easy and creative option if you’re limited on the number of real or plastic eggs you have available or you’re replicating the hunt that usually takes place in your mom’s yard or on the church lawn indoors. Download the Easter Egg Hunt template, print, cut out, and color in. Hide them anywhere you like (the fact that they’re flat opens a world of possibilities—under sofa cushions, behind frames, taped to the bottom of chairs). At the appointed time, give each kid a paper basket and encourage them to put all their eggs into it. Friends and relatives can cheer them on from the screen.
Set a Celebratory Scene
–Dress for the occasion! Even though you’re home, you can have fun with the dress code. That could mean everyone wears their Sunday best or you all put on an Easter hat and parade around the living room—since you’re usually seen from the shoulders up, hats and jewelry are especially Zoom friendly.
–Decide on a few special details. Even if you normally set a complete holiday table, it’s fine to just pull out a nice place-setting or two this year—or eat off your everyday china but light candles to set the mood. Do whatever it takes to make the day feel special for you and yours, and don’t worry about the rest.
–Add some flowers. You can have fresh flowers or print out flowers for a paper wreath to hang on your door or wall for a zoom backdrop. Leave the wreath up without worrying about wilting!
–Add a little something extra. To make the day feel a little more springlike, fold napkins into “carrots’ filled with herbs, bread sticks, or crudité everyone in your home can snack on while you’re getting the meal—and the tech—ready. Email virtual guests a how-to so they can follow the theme on their table, too, if they want.
–Keep things sweet. For a fun twist on the carrot napkin idea, wrap paper napkins around cellophane cones filled with candy—just remind everyone this does not count as a serving of vegetables! Click here for the how-to.
Bring on the Bunnies!
–Invite the Easter bunny! Whether he’s there in the form of cupcakes, hats, or balloons, he’s a sign of Spring who spreads cheer to kids and anyone who’s young at heart. All of these ideas can be made with items you’re likely to have at home or re-interpreted to put your own twist on the bunny’s tale.
–Everybunny loves balloons! This is an easy, fun craft project to keep kids busy. Dress up some balloons using our template or your own imagination—take a Sharpie to the balloon and draw a funny bunny face. Turn them into centerpieces or play “hot potato” passing the bunny back and forth.
–Be a funny bunny! Easter bonnets meet party hats in this fun topper, and all you need to make it is some construction paper and a little creativity. Click here for a how-to, and put on yours before dialing in to make your virtual guests smile
Get hoppy! If you’re baking up a storm lately, here’s a fun project that uses cupcakes and cookies. Frost cupcakes in green and turn them into a field of bunnies thanks to construction-paper “grass” and a few cookie toppers. ( bunny-shaped Peeps work, too!) Click here for a how-to. Get virtual guests into the action by sharing the link or sending them cupcakes or bunny cookies from a local bakery or grocery store.