Easter Baskets

[Deebs]

When we started having the discussion about Christmas traditions, you all had some really neat things that you either do with your kids or your parents did with you as kids. We are closing in on the time where I need to finalize Easter baskets and plans. I'm not big on candy because my kids are naturally chubby, so I work very hard to minimize it in their diets (plus, MIL is Jewish and goes nuts with the holiday candy since she's never had a reason to buy it before). Any great ideas???

Also, I'm planning on getting personalized baskets for my kids. Have one for DD from Lillian Vernon that is now discontinued. Does anyone have a great one that they'd recommend? I'm thinking of going with something from Pottery Barn Kids, but am open to other sources (these are the luxuries that an attending wife dreams of ).

[scrub-jay]

My parents would slip in a bit of chocolate, but my memories of Easter Baskets were all of the really neat stuff they'd slip in. Most memorable -- maybe the "art themed" one, it contained water colors, paint brushes, paint-by-numbers, pastels...an art book, etc. My DH just said toys...he loved getting toys in his basket, slinkies, etc. If they are younger, rubber duckies, stuffed bunnies, etc.

You could have a blast finding toys to slip in. As for traditions, my mom did this every.single.year and I never caught on -- I'd wake up...search for my basket...run to my mother, try to wake her up to help me. Her response: "I'll get up once you fold your laundry (or insert some chore here)" Me: "No! I'll do it after I find my basket!!!" So we'd go through this every year, until I'd fold my laundry and low and behold - my basket!! LOL Thanks Mom.

[SoonerTexan]

Once, when I was little, the "Easter Bunny" (who happened to live in my mother's closet) had us do a scavenger hunt with clues to find our baskets. That was really memorable (I was about 4 and I can remember all of it)

Divide up small amounts of candy in plastic eggs in the basket so it seems like more. We got little toys and religious stuff when we were younger, and as we got older it was usually one bigger gift that we wanted and something small like socks, etc. (my siblings and I really like socks--no joke)

my favorite thing in my Easter basket each year till I was about 6 was- get this- prunes!! Mom also didn't want us to have too many sweets, so we got stickers, pencils, necklaces, prunes, tiny melba toasts, oranges, yes, socks, too.... but my favorite was always the prunes. Got laughed at in kindergarten when I told this at show and tell and realized everybody else had jelly beans, but I still liked them every year-just stopped announcing it.

[houseelf]

Since we have returned to the region, Easter has been assigned as my holiday to host for both sides of the family, so we tend to do overdo it. We always dye eggs together the night before Easter. I do put sweets in the kids' baskets, but I always get at least one toy and a few books too. I try to buy more items with the cross on them rather than the bunny. I try to buy candy that I don't like. We do a big egg hunt out back and let the little kids go first. One of the eggs is gold and can be exchanged for a special prize. We typically find eggs several months later in the yard. No wonder why so many animals hang around out back.

Kelly

[diggitydot]

The years where we actually remember that it's Easter, we usually do a themed thing for each kid around their latest obsession du jour. Typically, very few sweets since my mom and MIL can always be counted on to send a package around this time with more candy than our kids could possibly consume in a year. Seriously, I toss out the left-over Easter candy once we get around to Halloween. Our kids just don't eat much.

We mostly give them books and toys. Being non-religious, this isn't a big holiday for us.

[Vanquisher]

We do a secular Easter much the same way we do a secular Christmas. I find some different fun things to put in the kids Easter baskets based on what they like right now or what they need or want. We die eggs, and we do an egg hunt. Typically, I definitely go overboard on the candy. They always get a solid chocolate bunny. We do sometimes put a little money (coins) in some of the eggs to find. For dinner we have ham and cheesy potatoes.

[alison]

I'm inspired. I'm going to do baskets for us this year.

[Pollyanna]

Oh goodness, our baskets are a candy extravaganza (peeps, chocolate bunnies, reeses, jelly bellies, you name it and it can be found in our baskets)!!! Our Easter bunny is a bit crazy and messes up the house leaving carrot crumbs and stuff everywhere. He also brings in outside toys and then hides baskets in the house for the kiddos to find. We color eggs on Holy Saturday and then go to the vigil Mass (one of our favs of the year). Then on Easter we eat egg baskets, special Italian Easter bread (the kind with the hard boiled eggs in it), and other yummies. In the evening we do either ham or lamb. Lots of chocolate is consumed by all!!

[v-girl]

We do a little candy, chocolate bunnies for each kid and fruit. Yes, fruit -- apples, oranges, bananas. And pencils, stickers, hair accessories for the girls, toy cars for the boy.

[bokelley]

When I saw this thread, it made me think of a funny story and I thought I would share. So a friend of mines boyfriend (now husband) was going to propose to her at her families Easter dinner. So he took the ring and put it in one of those plastic eggs and put a black dot on the bottom so he would know which one to have her open. So he told a little boy at the dinner where the eggs where (or at least where her egg was) so the boys goes easter egg hunting, when he came back to show the family what he got, all the eggs where open!! He had opened them while he was doing it, the boyfriend freaked out and start searching in the yard. Eventually they found the ring. But I just love the story!!

[SoonerTexan]

special Italian Easter bread (the kind with the hard boiled eggs in it),

I've never heard of that before--how cool! I'll have to make it this year! We always make cannoli too!

[scarlett09]

I've never heard of that before--how cool! I'll have to make it this year! We always make cannoli too!

The Easter bread with the hard boiled eggs in the middle are sooo good! Our family is very close with another family who make these every Easter on Good Friday. I pretty much get involved in making them every year that I can. I can never remember the exact Italian word for these, the family has a nickname for them. They are somewhere between a bread and a cookie and the icing is anise flavored. The older ladies make the dough and the icing from memory and the rest of the women make the shapes (chicks, bunnies, crosses, baskets, etc.) and decorate them. We spend all day making these, the kids dye eggs and then we all enjoy a huge linguine and clam dinner. I always look forward to this every Easter!

[SoonerTexan]

So I just showed my mom a picture of the Easter Bread--she told me her grandmother used to make it when she was little, and it seems the tradition died with her a few years ago. We're going to make it this year--thanks for reigniting a family tradition!

[HouseofWool]

When I was a kid, I would wake up and find a plastic egg someplace in my room - usually in the middle of the floor. It contained a small clue about where to find the next egg containing a clue.

With Caleb, I have taken digital pictures and used those for the clues. It is so much fun to watch him look at the pictures and try to figure out where it is. This year, I will make the pictures be of a detail. For example, instead of showing the whole cupboard where the egg is hidden, maybe just the handle.

The baskets are ususally pretty full of candy, but I am going to get him a rubics cube this year.