HAPPY EASTER AND PASSOVER—TOGETHER AGAIN!
Easter and Passover are the two big Spring holidays, so naturally, they usually occur around the same time. But this year, their dates are more special, once again. This is the fourth time in the past five years that they’re on the same week-end!
Passover.
Passover begins tonight, and Easter is on Sunday. That’s really fun for people like me, who celebrate both. The first time it happened like that in my life was when I first moved out to Los Angeles on my own, as a teenager. I had been in town for only about eight months, but had already made friends who were good enough to include me in their holidays. I was a guest at both seders at one’s divorced parents’ separate homes, and then I had one of the best Easters ever at another’s. Those three days and nights were magical; everyone was so good to me, which I still appreciate after all these years. (I actually wish I still had those friends, not just for the family meals!)
A gorgeous box of MarieBelle Easter chocolates that anyone would love to receive!
But this year, I’m planning on just celebrating both holidays at home, with Mr. X. That’s how we’ve done it for the past two years, (not by choice–because of the pandemic, of course,) and it’s worked, so we figure that we may as well keep out of crowds for one more year. (Okay, I have to admit this—the official first round of the NBA play-offs, which I watch in their entirety, begins tomorrow, so I would be staying home now even if Covid was not still around.)
But I’m happy for those of you who have a Passover seder or Easter dinner to go to. Or both!
As to how to celebrate, I have no tips on how to do Passover other than in the traditional way, (with homemade matzah ball soup, of course,) but if you’re looking for fun ways to celebrate Easter this Sunday, I’m your girl for those ideas, based on fetes I’ve thrown or attended in the past.
So I’m happy to share these ideas with all of you this year. Here they are:
Make a festive cake that kids will love!
Throw a party for the kids: I did that once for my brother when we were little. (Yes, I always looked for ways to entertain him, even as a child myself!) I came up with playing Pin the Fluffy Tale on the Bunny, (as opposed to the donkey, of course.) I made a big bunny poster myself, and used cotton balls attached to thumb tacks for the tails. (So clever, right?)
All my food was Easter-and-Spring-themed, and of course, I had a chocolate Easter egg hunt! The funny thing is that his best friend then was this little ladies man, (at the age of eight!,) who’s now a Rabbi! So, he’s always a fun symbol of both these Spring holidays for me.
The afternoon tea ladies: (L-R, then around) Lucia Singer, Karen Salkin, Diane Levine, Eadie Siegel, Jann Berman, Candis Melamed, Celia Montgomery, and Caryn Gray in front.
Host an Afternoon Tea: One year, even felled by a really bad back issue, and with Mr. X out of town, (so I didn’t have much help,) I threw an Afternoon Tea for my lady friends. I served tea sandwiches, of course, and some of the desserts were Jello Easter Eggs, banana pudding in a bunny mold, and some nice angel food cake with fresh strawberries sauce.
We started with sherry, and for the actual tea, I brewed a few flowering ones in little clear teapots, having the assemblage choose which bud we should put in each.
Photo by Lucia Singer.
Since it was a beautiful Spring day, we enjoyed the tea and sandwiches outside on the deck, surrounded by tons of greenery, the highlight of which is always my gigantic oak tree. Then we moved indoors to the living room for desserts relaxing.
Needless to say, a lovely time was had by all.
Karen Salkin coloring easter eggs back in the day with (from back to front) TJ Jones, Jake Lauro, Ronnie Hazel, Jr., and Alex Hazel. What a fun time! Photo by Arianna Jones.
Color Easter eggs: Once, when my parents were visiting from New York, we had a get-together to color Easter eggs. I had not realized my friends and family were so creative prior to that event.
To not distract us with a major spread, I served a giant sub sandwich with a big salad and several kinds of chips, and lots of fun made-the-night-before desserts. My parents had never done Easter before, so they were enthralled all day.
Do a casual gathering: One year, a family I’m friends with had an impromptu pool party with several generations of us. We swam and then feasted on very popular pizza, which the father was proud to run out and bring home for all of us. It was one of the most relaxing Easters I’ve ever had. Such a no-fuss day.
Photo by Karen Salkin.
Put together an all-day luncheon: In the recent years before the pandemic, Mr. X and I always attended an Easter luncheon at a friend’s house overlooking the beach. We each bring a dish, and then after lunch, we do an extensive Easter Egg Hunt, which the hostess is kind enough to set-up for us. Inside each plastic egg is a number that corresponds to a gift. (If you’re the host, it’s inexpensive enough to get little doo-dads and trinkets from discount stores. In this case, it’s really not the gift itself that counts, but we all do usually love them.) And then we play a fun game with dollars and dice, and none of us really wants to leave! We’re entertained from mid-morning until dusk!
The scrumptious desserts at one of our famous Malibu Easter brunches, with Jello eggs made by none other than moi. Photo by Karen Salkin.
Go on a picnic: If you’re abode is not right for a soiree, how about just going on a picnic? It’s always fun to be out and about on Easter. And if you’re in a location with strangers doing the same, it’s interesting to witness the “Easter parade,” meaning what others are wearing, eating, playing for the occasion.
No matter what you do this week-end, I wish you a Happy Passover and Hoppy Easter! Enjoy! (And of course, do everything you can to stay safe!)
