How to Hold an Easter Brunch

Easter is a time for renewal and a time for family and friends to gather and celebrate. After church services are over, consider inviting everyone over to your house for an Easter brunch. It's a great alternative to the traditional Easter dinner that runs into the evening. There are a variety of ways to hold an Easter brunch, and following are some great ideas you can use.

Instructions

1. Mail your invitiations early. All holidays become busy for everyone, and if you want to ensure that your friends and family can attend your brunch, send out invitations a few weeks in advance. Set the time for late morning so that people can attend church before brunch.

2. Decorate the outside of your home to welcome your guests. Plant some beautiful spring annuals, hang eggs from your front yard trees and an Easter wreath on the front door. You can also place small bunny statuettes along your walkway or next to the front door.

3. Extend the decorations and preparations to your interior. Buy a few bunches of fresh cut flowers to place around the house along with a few fresh-smelling candles. Use bright colors and pastels for your table linens and dinnerware.

4. Begin the festivities with an Easter egg hunt. Your guests will most likely arrive at different times, so before putting any food out, have an Easter egg hunt ready to go. You can either look for traditionally dyed eggs, or use plastic eggs filled with goodies. This can be a great ice breaker for guests who don't know each other, and will keep the kids busy until mealtime.

5. Plan your meal. For a brunch, it's easiest to set up a buffet so that your guests can help themselves and the atmosphere is much more casual. Offering ham and an egg casserole covers both breakfast and supper foods and is in keeping with traditional Easter fare. Have your guests bring a favorite side dish or dessert to share.

6. Set up an egg-dyeing table. For an added activity after the meal, keep a table equipped with hard-boiled eggs, crayons and dyes. Guests can sit and dye eggs when they want to and have a keepsake to take home with them.

Tips & Warnings

• If you think that you won't get a good response to holding your Easter brunch on Sunday, consider having it on Saturday or even the week before.