In addition to choosing cruelty-free alternatives for the chocolates and candy in the Easter basket, there’s the tradition of the Easter Eggs that needs a little makeover…

Coloring Easter Eggs

Rather than dying a bunch of eggs that most people wind up throwing away a few days later, painting and decorating wooden eggs can become a new family tradition. Year to year, you can add to a collection of your child’s handiwork– extra-special keepsakes to have around when they no longer believe in you-know-who. Use a clear coat sealer when the painting’s done so that the creative masterpieces will stand the test of time. Don’t forget to have the kids paint the date on their eggs!

Easter Egg Hunts

Even when I was a young child, egg hunts made use of the hollow plastic eggs that opened in half. These are great for public egg hunts as well as those you create in your home. What’s fun about using these eggs is that you can get really creative about what to put inside: you can fill the eggs with a few jellybeans or a Jolly Rancher or two; or, I remember a few Easter holidays when a couple of “select” eggs had dollar bills inside; or maybe the Easter Bunny will leave a special little note inside one.

A super-cool option — especially if you’re planning an Easter Egg hunt for a bunch of kids in the neighborhood: ready-made assortments of plastic eggs by Bee International. I love the “Noah’s Ark” eggs that are shaped like animals and filled with Smarties and bubble gum. They also have “Sports Buddies” eggs — plastic eggs that have “bodies” of footballs and baseballs. For those of you who want to merge the secular with the religious, Bee also offers religious tin eggs, inspirational pictures etched on colorful metallic eggs. I made this discovery at a Wal-mart Neighborhood Market.

Not ready to give up real eggs completely?

Then please please please go for the FREE-RANGE eggs. At the very least, use cage-free eggs, which are only slightly more expensive than eggs coming from battery-cage hens. They’re not 100% cruelty-free, but the more humane treatment of the hens makes the cost well worth it.

If you (or family and friends) remain unconvinced that switching to cage-free is worth the extra cents to the dollar — or that it’s just not that important to be a priority — I urge you to watch and share this video, Wegman’s Cruelty. Be warned: it will leave no doubt in your mind because the images are haunting. About 17 minutes in, the story of one hen in particular brought tears immediately to my eyes. Unfortunately, it is representative of what’s happening in the industry, rather than being an aberration from the norm. If you’re going to continue eating eggs, at the very least please do not support this kind of cruelty with your consumer dollars.

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