Egg-cellent Easter Memories in the Making

(ARA) - Each year, Easter brings families together to celebrate and enjoy quality time with each other. In 2007, 90 percent of American families will decorate Easter eggs, according to a recent survey commissioned by PAAS, the egg decorating kit preferred by more than 83 percent of American families.

Not surprisingly, decorating eggs ranks as the activity people have the fondest family memories of doing, finishing ahead of gathering for Easter dinner, indulging in Easter candy and attending church services. All generations can join in the fun, with 91 percent of families making egg-decorating an event for the entire family.

These easy tips will help your family create “egg-ceptional” eggs that are sure to wow the Easter bunny himself :

* Keeping with the fashion trends for spring, bright colors are the most popular for eggs. Purple (36 percent) is America’s preferred color for eggs, with teal (17 percent) a runner-up and denim blue (14 percent) not far behind. To make your eggs very vibrant, add a few tablespoons of white vinegar, such as Heinz White Vinegar, to the egg wash before dyeing eggs.

* Kids love having multiple options to really get crafty. Between stickers, sparkles and getting wild with tie-dye, there’s something for everyone. Have kids personalize their eggs by using a wax crayon to write their name before dyeing. Use the dyed eggs as place cards for Easter dinner or place them together as a centerpiece.

* Try wrapping rubber bands around eggs before dyeing. After the rubber bands are removed, the areas where they were will remain white. Repeat this several times for each egg to create a very cool tie-dye effect.

* Take a new twist on an old tradition -- arm the kids with flashlights and have your Easter egg hunt at night! Use glow-in-the-dark paints and stickers from the PAAS Eggs-A-Glow egg decorating kit to help make the moonlight search a little easier and a lot of fun!

* A tisket, a tasket … a basket of hand-decorated eggs will brighten anyone’s day! Have children decorate a few special eggs and deliver them to friends and neighbors. Taking a basket of eggs to a local nursing home is a sure way to bring smiles to residents’ faces and show children how rewarding giving to others can be!

If you are wondering what to do with all those beautiful eggs, don’t fret about cracking your family’s art. More than 85 percent of people say they chow down on their eggs right away or within a few days of Easter.

For more Easter egg decorating tips and tricks, visit www.paaseastereggs.com.

Courtesy of ARAcontent