Color in These Passover and Easter Designs for Your Virtual Celebration
There is nothing Darcy Miller loves more than a good party—so much so, she wrote a book called Celebrate Everything. With the spring celebrations of Easter and Passover coming up, Miller is the first to admit that celebrating this year’s holidays will be a challenge due to the coronavirus pandemic and social-distancing rules that are keeping us apart from family and friends. But Miller argues that celebrations are more important than ever at a time like this—even if the entertaining is virtual. Here are her tips on throwing a virtual spring holiday event—plus links to downloadable coloring projects for creating tabletop and holiday decor.
ELLE Decor: Entertaining is the essence of your brand. At such a serious time, is it even possible to celebrate?
Darcy Miller: Of course! To me, celebrating isn’t just about parties; it’s about being together, lifting your spirits, and making memories. When things get tough, it’s even more important to celebrate the things that really matter while we’re able to: family, friends, relationships, and doing things together. Now more than ever we need to make sure that we’re doing what gives us hope and connects us to one another. You need to safeguard your emotional health as well as your physical health and celebrate the people you love and the bonds you share. That can even go beyond our own friends and family to the extended community. Our “celebrations” can include people who are alone at this time and can express gratitude to health-care workers and everyone who is out there working to keep us safe and sane.
ED: So many people look forward to Easter and Passover. What advice do you have on creating a virtual spring celebration this year?
DM: I’m so glad you asked! I have a bunch of ideas for making the most of virtual Passover and Easter get-togethers, keeping traditions intact even though we’re not necessarily all in the same room. I’m all about DIT—Do It Together. You can cook or craft over Zoom with your aunt or cousins or grandparents. My Virtual Easter includes invitations, decor, recipes, and a template for a printed-out color-in Easter egg hunt.
ED: You’ll be celebrating Passover with your family. How do you plan to make it festive?
DM: This is the first time ever that I won’t be with my parents on Passover, but we’ll be celebrating virtually with them and with my sister’s family overseas (yes, we’re attempting to teach my parents Zoom!). I’ll be using my grandmother’s recipes, which have been passed down, and adding details that make it feel extra festive, like print-at-home place cards that double as a table activity, giving you a place to write what you’re thankful for on the holiday. I’m also going to be sharing this virtual Passover with my extended family—complete with a printable, color-it-in Seder plate.
ED: Our holiday tables will be set for smaller numbers this year—some as small as one or two. How would you rethink the menu and the decor?
DM: Take the pressure off this year! You don’t have to do everything. Pick and choose the traditions that mean the most to you and do what you can manage–the things that bring you joy or that your kids love most. You don’t have to pull out all your good china, for example. Just lighting some candles and changing out of your work-from-home sweatpants into something festive will make the event feel like an occasion.
For me, the joy is in making holidays beautiful for the people I love. I remember my grandmother’s Passover table so vividly, and then my mom carried on that tradition. Whether it’s Passover or Easter, or whatever holiday you celebrate, the key is capturing that holiday feeling while making things easier this year due to the circumstances. For example, maybe you can’t have a big children’s Easter egg hunt this year, but instead you can print out the template for the ones on my website. That way, even if you don’t have the time to dye and decorate dozens of the real thing, you can have a few decorative eggs on your table or even set up a hunt in the house.
ED: You have three young daughters. What projects have you been doing together?
DM: I will say that in our house, there’s always a project in full swing. Since we’ve been home, that’s only increased! My daughter Ella has been tie-dyeing clothes and accessories to raise money for pediatric cancer. We’ve also been playing a lot of Monopoly and cooking and baking—for everyone, including older relatives, friends, the doormen in our New York building—which has been nice. For the first time, instead of my mom making my grandmother’s matzoh ball soup for Passover, I am making it with the same recipe. (Wish me luck!)
For every holiday invitation, menu, or project I’ve ever done—including my book—my mom is my official calligrapher. We combine my artwork with her writing. This year, since we’re not together, my daughters will follow in her footsteps and are making table decorations.
ED: The hardest thing for many people right now is being separated from loved ones and friends. How can we celebrate “together” when we’re apart?
DM: By now I think everyone has figured out that you can have virtual birthday parties, happy hours, and gatherings. And when it comes to celebrating, I think you can do it in two parts. First, you can share in the preparations—for me, half the fun of a holiday is getting ready together, cooking, or crafting. Video-chatting with friends or family while working off the same recipe or on the same project gives you that same feeling. Calling your mom to get her signature recipe, touching base beforehand to let her know you’re thinking of her, or going on Zoom and celebrating with the extended family—it might not be as good as the real thing, but it can come pretty close. Maybe it’s not what you’re used to, but you’ll still be making memories together, even if it’s in a new way.
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