As we approach the holiday season many people have been wondering if Eggbert, the Christmas egg will be making his annual appearance in New Windsor.

Eggbert has been greeting boys and girls of the Hudson Valley since the early 70s. The beloved Christmas egg holds court at Devitt's Nursery and Supply in New Windsor each year, asking children what holiday gifts they desire and sending the information directly to Santa himself.

Billed as "Christmas on the Farm," Devitt's transforms their property into an elaborate holiday trail featuring live animals, animated figures, train rides, and an enormous slot car track. Thousands of Hudson Valley residents make an annual pilgrimage through the trail, eventually meeting with Eggbert himself.

A. Boris
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This year, with so many events being canceled or reimagined, many have been wondering if Eggbert would be appearing at all. Haunted houses and other Halloween attractions have transformed into drive-through or outdoor trails, allowing people to participate while still following social distance guidelines. Unfortunately, changes like this don't appear to be in the works for Eggbert's annual appearance.

We have officially confirmed that all Eggbert activities have been canceled for 2020. Candace Rivera from Devitt's revealed to us yesterday that the decision has been made not to open the trail at all. She said, "with the increase of (COVID-19) cases and the difficulty with social distancing we made the hard choice not to do it.  We will have Christmas trees and wreaths and are hoping to be able to open the store for other Christmas items." When asked if Eggbert would at least make some sort of appearance, Rivera said, "there are no plans" for Eggbert at all this year.

The last time we've experienced a Christmas without Eggbert was in 2010. The holiday egg debuted in 1971, greeting families for almost 30 years before taking a decade-long hiatus in 2000.  In 2011 Devitt's resurrected the iconic egg, which quickly became even more popular than before. Since then, Eggbert's trail has become even more elaborate with new features and attractions added each year.

While we'll all miss Eggbert, many families are thankful that they won't have to make the tough decision between pleasing their kids and keeping them safe this holiday season. And who knows? Like his disappearance twenty years ago, this year's absence may just make us love Eggbert even more when he triumphantly returns next year.

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