Neighborhood Egg Hunt
“Easter egg hunts are proof that children can find things when they really want.”
Practice Neighborhood Egg Hunts
Look for annual neighborhood events.
Many neighborhoods have a newsletter, website, or bulletin board with upcoming events.
Put it on your calendar and show up.
The easiest way to get to know your neighbors is to simply show up!
Step into helping with your local neighborhood association.
Working alongside your neighbors on an event builds relationships in a unique, collaborative way.
Our neighborhood in southeast Aurora is made up of about 200 homes. Our neighborhood association has hosted an Easter egg hunt for the children in the community for years, longer than most of us have lived here. Neighborhood events like the Easter Egg Hunt and the 4th of July Parade were one of the compelling reasons why we chose to move to this neighborhood. Over the last few years, interest in these community events seemed to be declining, and the neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt was close to being cut from the annual calendar.
The tradition of Easter egg hunts started in Germany in the 17th century. They were popularized in England by Queen Victoria, who enjoyed egg hunts as a child led by her German mother. The tradition evolved to include chocolate bunnies, baskets, and artificial eggs.
I co-lead a church that meets in our home. We decided a practical and joyful way we could serve our neighborhood was to sponsor the Easter Egg Hunt. Last year, we chose to hand-deliver an invitation to the egg hunt to every house in the neighborhood. We asked the families in our church to contribute eggs, create a cookie decorating station, and hide over 800 hundred eggs! We had 65 delighted children from our neighborhood participate last year. As enjoyable and exciting as the Easter egg hunt was for the kids, the most meaningful aspect of hosting the event was meeting new neighbors and watching families linger at the park long after we had cleaned up.
Hosting the Easter Egg Hunt has provided us a way to approach people in our neighborhood and invite their families to connect with each other. Since meeting at the egg hunt, we have interacted with families in the park, at our kids’ schools, and while trick-or-treating. Several of the neighbors we’ve met have now volunteered with our church to host the Easter Egg Hunt.
Knowing our neighbors, and being known by them, is one of the biggest hopes for ourselves and our children. The Easter Egg Hunt is one way that hope becomes reality. We are looking forward to this year’s hunt with even more kids and more eggs. It’s a playful way to practice loving our neighbors and neighborhood.
Alyssa Alexander is the co-pastor of Integrated Faith, a neighborhood house church in Aurora, CO. Alyssa works part-time as an RN at Craig Hospital and is a homeschooling mom to three daughters.
