Easter Manners: You're not too old to color eggs.

Suburban Chicago, March 1970. My egg-lifting skills improved every year.

Easter Manners: Wear a necklace.

Rockford, Illinois, Spring 1962. The Rockford Poodle allows me to hold her.

Easter Manners: Enjoy the table.

Suburban Chicago, Easter Sunday, 1961. My paternal Grandmother, Tatjana, again enjoys hosting another party. She's seated at the dining room table with the mother of my Mom's Rockford friend and my Godmother's father. The decanter holds Tatjana's brew of citrus-flavored, milk liqueur. Ach! The tablecloth has creases.

Tatjana made a yeast Babka every Easter. The recipe used five egg yolks. On the table, you can see what Tatjana made with the leftover egg whites: a "Bizet Torte." A Bizet Torte consists of five or six layers of baked meringue disks, held together with coffee buttercream, and decorated with toasted almond slices. Although the Bizet Torte isn't as popular in Lithuania as a Napoleonas, it is a lot less labor intensive.

Latvians make Bizet Torte, too.

Easter Manners: Egg Skills

Suburban Chicago, April 1969. I got better at lifting the eggs from the dye. When we weren't using those bowls to color Easter eggs, we served Jell-o in them.

Easter Manners: The older folks will enjoy the party, too.

Suburban Chicago, April 1969. My paternal Grandmother, Tatjana, reflects on pre-dinner drinks with my Godmother's father and another friend.

Related by Marriage: Easter Manners: Line up.

Marquette Park, Chicago, Illinois, April 1962. Mr. Irene, his Parents, and his maternal Grandparents head out for Easter Mass.

Easter Manners: Hold the "egg" carefully.

Suburban Chicago, April 1962. I am ready for Easter Dinner.

Related by Marriage: Easter Manners: Cherish the Bunny

Suburban Chicago, Easter Sunday, April 1963. Check out Mr. Irene's tie (his jacket is on the chair).

Easter Manners: Be patient.

We have to go the church, first:

Suburban Chicago, Easter Sunday, April 1963. My paternal Grandmother, Tatjana, restrains my enthusiasm.

Easter Manners: Deliver the Lilies

Queen of Heaven Cemetery, Hillside, Illinois, March 1961. I bring flowers to the grave of my maternal Grandfather, Jake. The "family plot" stands near the monument honoring the children who perished in the Our Lady of the Angels fire.

The coat in this photo was blue. I also wore it on the day I tried out nursery school. Those Mickey-Mouse mittens lasted through the next winter.

Easter Manners: Take another look.

Suburban Chicago, April 1965. It's easier to gauge the colors when the photo isn't black and white.

It looks like I finished that potholder. It's displayed on the intercom system that didn't work.

Easter Manners: How to Make "Margučiai"

Last year, The Martha Stewart Show featured a segment about making "Margučiai," or Lithuanian Easter Eggs. Lithuanian-American Christine Luschas offered detailed instructions about creation of the eggs. Read more about the segment here (in Lithuanian).

See also here:

Easter Manners: Pose in a memorable way.

Suburban Chicago, Easter Sunday, April 1963. Mom and I are ready to go to church.

Easter Manners: Consider what inspires you.

Milan, Italy, October 1983. Spires of the Duomo emerge from the dissipating fog.

Easter Manner: When the eggs are ready, pose for the photo.

Suburban Chicago, April 1968. The eggs are almost ready.

Easter Manners: Lift the eggs carefully.

Suburban Chicago, April 1966. I color the eggs, and I don't have to wear an apron. I've set the lame stickers aside.

Easter Manners: Keep displaying the palm fronds.

Suburban Chicago, April 1967. Mom and I decorate eggs; the fronds from Palm Sunday are placed in the Lithuanian folk-art cross. This photo accurately shows the pale pink color of the kitchen walls.

Easter Manners: Focus on the colors.

Suburban Chicago, April 1965. I concentrate on the evenness of the shades for the Easter eggs.

Easter Manners: Bring flowers for the hostess.

Suburban Chicago, April 1962. I carry marigolds. I likely am delivering them to my Godmother.

Easter Manners, Related by Marriage: Find the right hat.

Bridgeport, Chicago, Illinois, Easter Sunday, 1935. Mr. Irene's Mom, on the left, stands on the back porch of her childhood home with her maternal Aunt, the spinster Petra, and her Sister, Mr. Irene's maternal Aunt Martha.