I am a traditions girl. I mean…every morning I wake up and eat practically the same thing. English muffin with butter and peanut butter. I’m into ‘tradition’ on a daily level. So for me, holidays without the traditions are a failure of epic proportions. And for Easter, we have a few fun traditions that are my jam….or my cadbury egg…however you want to look at it 🙂
One of my absolute favorite traditions is creating Easter baskets and this year I can’t wait to break out the goodies. It’s gonna be eggcellent. You knew that was coming.
I started making “Man Baskets” a very long time ago and they are just as much fun as the kids baskets. If you don’t make one for your main squeeze….you need to ask yourself “what would the easter bunny do?” and grab a bunch of beef jerky and some muscle milk and call it a day.
Another man basket I made is one that I slipped vitamins in. I mean…a wife’s gotta do what a wife’s gotta do. I figure that the positive association will make those one-a-day’s more appealing. Hey baby, here is a fudge round followed by a marshmallow peep with a hidden surprise inside 🙂 You are welcome.
Another idea is to make your man basket have a theme. I did a DIY basket using a screw/nail organizer as the basket and filled each compartment with items he wanted. Even new shoes made the cut and they were stuffed in there alongside a stud finder and CLIF bars. If your man was into golf, it would be a basket with a new golf towel and some Pro-V1’s and new gloves and some sunscreen. If beer was more his thing, you could use a beer bucket and add a new bottle opener, a can holder and his favorite brew. Whatever you do, personalize it to their likes. Jeremy loves it…it’s nostalgic and exciting just like when you were a kid.
Have a baby in your life? They can’t eat the chocolates (sucker!) but there are lots of cute things that you can get them that they will enjoy immediately. I like to get their favorite snacks and little things they can wear (bathing suits and flip flops are always a winner) and always slip in a book and toy.
I try to give the kids as much candy as they I can possibly consume (I know it’s terrible but both Jeremy and I have a BIG sweet tooth. It’s like a wholly mammoth tusk craving sugar at all times. We generally pack their baskets full of candy. BUT we realized that if we put a bunch of candy in the eggs, then filling up the rest of the basket with other non-egg-sized items is really helpful in making an impactful basket. Kids know size matters so think nerd rope instead of mini boxes of nerds and a DVD or scratch art….even small toys are great because they fill up the basket and will last longer than the three seconds in Mommy’s mouth 🙂
And if you need help brainstorming a basket for you…or your mom, sister, bestie….here is a fun one that Jeremy made me with some of my favorites. Man takes notes obviously 🙂 I love Tervis cups (it’s a strange obsession) but a new one goes a long way….as do nice plump dishtowels and a pretty candle. He filled there rest of the basket with things I would enjoy like a craft book and some other little craft supplies. Also….a comfy sleep tank…nothing says love like a soft shirt that you use for sleeping in! I wouldn’t hate it if he put these in my basket this year 🙂
So those are some of our baskets from years past….what do you guys put in yours? Is it personalized or does every kid get the same? My mom always did EXACTLY the same items so that we kids didn’t fight….which was probably an accurate prediction…but she would count down to the number and color of candy so that our baskets were fair. I feel like I do generally the same items for the kids (they all get 1 toy, 1 book, lots of candy, same number of eggs, etc.) but I vary the individual things. Just interested in what y’all do for your kiddos? And do you make man-baskets? Do they have a theme? Spill those beans….those jelly beans 🙂
Hi Katie,
These look super cute. Are Easter baskets a common thing in the US? I’m not sure anyone does them over here in the UK! Do you do a big opening session on Easter Sunday (like Christmas)? I do quite like the idea of making an even bigger deal of celebrating Easter…this year I only got as far as putting up some pastel coloured hearts and some pretty eggs in a vase!
Sarah
I love the idea of doing one for your spouse – such a fun idea! I’m so behind on Easter basket planning this year – I ordered some stuff on Amazon and it should get here today, and I haven’t bought any candy yet because my kiddo is always with me when I’m shopping!
I love Easter baskets. My mom still gets us Easter “gifts” even though we are grown adults with kids lol. I am so with you on tradition. I have to have it on holidays, or it doesn’t feel right. We do different things in the Easter baskets because I like to think of each individual child and what they would like. Plus, I have a girl and boy and my son is still a little young for candy. I don’t do a ton of candy, but I like to do toys and something to wear too. We are those annoying parents who keep all the candy in a cupboard up high and hand it out at our discretion. Which basically means we have a cabinet full of uneaten candy at all times. I don’t even do this for health reasons. More just because my daughter turns into an uncontrollable monster if she has too much, so it’s more for safety reasons 😉
I do slightly different baskets for my boy and girl, but I’ve learned that I have to keep them fairly similar or else someone will get jealous. :p Haha. I always include a book, some sweet treats, and some small little things depending on their likes. Right now, Hot Wheels and Ponies and balloons. They will play with a balloon for the longest time!!
Although your baskets are cute. I personally don’t like the ridiculous pressure that holiday’s put on family’s to provide gifts. We are creating so much waste from all this “stuff” we don’t really need. I hope you don’t take this as criticism.
We do similar things. It’s varied from year to year. There’s a few things my boys have asked for recently so we’re including them this year just because we don’t just buy toys randomly. We usually keep it related to spring/summer. So kites, bubbles, sidewalk chalk or sunglasses, swimsuits, flip flops. Not ever all of those things. This year our baby boys won’t get a lot because family bought swimsuits for everyone and they’re too little for toys so maybe a new teether each and a sun hat. We’ve also done a movie in the past with each boy getting a book. It’s a great way to grow our movie collection. My aunt has started to send the boys a book each for holidays so I’ve not been buying too many books. There’s always the candy. We don’t do a lot of candy though because my mother in law gets each of us an Easter gift bag of candy. I’d love to hear about your other Easter traditions. We don’t do the Easter bunny but our boys still get the basket. They just know it’s from us. We started doing the Passover meal last year. I see it being such a great tradition for our boys and such a special way to teach our boys about what Easter is all about. We use special dishes, that were my great grandmothers along with our wedding crystal and silverware. Things we don’t use regularly. We used the Passover Meal from Ann Voskamp at A Holy Experience as an example.
I usually add something that’s a sign of summer coming since Texas warms up quickly. This year I have a Shark torpedo for the pool and a fun splasher ball to toss back and forth. And fresh goggles, because we lose approximately 1.9million pairs each year!
Love your blog BUT it’s becoming impossible to read due to constant pop up ads and so many photos scrolling. Best to you, but for me, I’m done trying
I like you Katie, I really do, but posts like this just make me kind of sick. It’s full of contradiction and extravagance. Ugh.
Looks expensive to me. Not to mention bad for ones teeth. I don’t do them, to each their own though.
The ads should all have an X in the corner to opt out and there is only one at the bottom. If there is more than that or one that is particularly offensive, please let me know so I can send the ad people a notice!
xo kb
That is so cool. Growing up we did a Passover meal when we got bigger but it’s hard on the littles to stay quiet for so long so we haven’t started that yet. We actually do a church Easter egg hunt and but I would love to do a more meaningful experience since will understands!
xo kb
Not at all. I get that some people spend more time and effort on other things…I’m a gift giver. Doesn’t mean everyone needs to be. It’s just my love language 🙂
xo kb
We do the same thing! We let the kids eat as much as they want the first day and then the second day they get rations 🙂 we just stuff it full of things that we like bc you know…the cravings happen!
xo kb
Our church does special Easter events just like Christmas!
xo kb
I LOVE Easter baskets/stockings and am currently campaigning to get more holidays with gift-giving vessels. I can get on board with a Independence Day Sand Bucket! Fall themed cornucopia? I say yes! (I’m kidding. Sort of.) I just love little stuff, you know, like travel sized things and things that fit in the palm of your hand? I might have a problem. My 5-year-old daughter is into Shopkins and all those tiny collectable things which are perfectly sized for baskets. I like to include one or two spring-themed books. I also use Easter baskets for things I would buy for summer anyway, like sun hats, sunglasses, flip flops, PlayDoh, sidewalk chalk, etc. As with every holiday, every family is different. I love that you love to go big!
Sarah, Easter baskets are VERY common here in the US. You can find them pre-made and wrapped up in cellophane or DIY them. My mom always had baskets set out for my sister, dad, and me on Easter Sunday and now I do the same for my son and hubby. Lots of people also do an Easter egg hunt in the front or backyard or throughout the house. Most eggs (plastic) have a few small pieces of candy, a small trinket, or stickers in them.
Some people go way overboard and treat Easter like a second Christmas which is just insane to me, but to each his/her own!
I totally get this. What I do as a compromise of sorts is to not get them stuff they actually need during the year if I can hold off and give it to them as a “gift”. So if my daughter could use a new dress for church (because she’s grown so much her dresses have turned into mini-skirts ) or my son needs a new pair or sandals for summer (again because he legit doesn’t fit in his one pair of sandals from last year), I’ll give those things to them as a gift.
I don’t do a man basket for my husband, but the ones you make Jeremy are awesome! I get my kids candy, and things like bubbles, sidewalk chalk, a book, a ball for outside. It’s much like what my mother did for me when I was a kid. It’s tradition, it’s once a year, and I disagree that it’s “extravagance” like someone else said.
Great ideas Katie! this is my first year doing Easter. I was raised Jewish but my husband is Catholic. This year we have the most perfect 7 month old boy to celebrate Easter with. I think because I never got to do Easter growing up I’m super excited to be able to put together an Easter basket for him. Thank you for the ideas!!
Our kids can’t have dairy (the combination of Pakistani genes and Native American genes pretty much guaranteed that) and we try to keep the random clutter to a minimum, so I work within that parameter.
When they were smaller (3 boys) it would be a stuffed animal (something they didn’t have yet, we are doing really unusual animals at this point. Last time was a hedgehog, an ocelot and a Minion for the anti-stuffed-animal kid.), dark chocolate bunny, jelly beans, sour gummies and a book. Now they are 14, 11 and 8 and they like the candy, the book and the younger two get Minecraft minifigs while the teenager gets art pens.
We do an egg hunt (first we hide them for the kids and then they hide them for us) and then a scavenger hunt to find the baskets. And then we watch a movie and snuggle because by then it is 5 pm on a Sunday and Mom and Dad are tired.
I don’t spend near as much as you do, but I don’t judge you for spending more than me. It’s your life, not mine! I do love seeing what you put together though because I’m always looking for new ideas, especially this year. All three of mine are teens or preteens this year and it’s getting harder to find things they enjoy that don’t cost a small fortune. Thanks for sharing!
We haven’t done Easter baskets for our boys, but they always get one from their Nana and Mommy and Daddy ration the candy.
I know this type of post isn’t for everyone, but I think it is wonderful that you put so much thought into what each of your boys would like. It shows your giving heart.
I love that your kids do an Easter egg hunt for you too! We don’t have any kids yet, but I keep telling my husband that I want to him to set up an Easter egg hunt for me… I’m pretty sure he thinks I am joking. I am very serious! Haha
i do one basket for everyone. The kids each get a toy and then there is a board game and candy to share. I hide eggs around the house that are filled with coins and jellybeans-they have more fun stuffing their piggy banks and it helps keep the clutter toys to a minimum! This is our first year traveling during Easter so the bunny is visiting a hotel
Totally get it about them being so little still. Ours were almost 2 and 4 so they don’t really remember it but they thought it was so cool to have a special meal. I had spent all day making it. Not that it was difficult, I just worked full time then so I had to do the shopping that morning and then cook quickly that afternoon. We also abreviated the typical messianic sadar to make sure we kept their attention. Our church did a egg hunt last weekend but we have a big Good Friday experience. You walk through stations, each for the events leading up to and including the crucifixion and resurrection. They have incense going and at the end you nail your sin/struggle that you’ve written on a paper to the cross. It is an experience that touches all your senses. You hear the echo of the hammers the entire time. It’s such a special way to reflect and prepare for the Easter weekend. It’s great for the kids too because it’s all hands on and you go at your own pace stopping to reflect and pray at each one.
I love that you put so much thought into each basket. I still do them for my boys and they are 23 and 18.
as I was reading this there were 4 different ads. One on the bottom 2 different ones on the right side and a scrolling one.
movie tickets. best gift ever.
It is super fun. The husband and I are competitive and have been known to dive onto an egg. The kids find the whole thing hilarious.
Super frustrated with the petty comments about this being extravagance or even “bad for teeth”! Everyone celebrates holidays differently and at different price points and it’s enjoyable getting to see how your sweet family does Easter! Keep being you Katie! 🙂
I love baskets! For my boys (6 and 4), I generally do some new summer clothes/ sandals, a movie, a book, a game, candy, and a small toy (this year one is getting toob animals and one is getting pokemon cards). I also do a basket for the hubs: normally fancy candies, healthy bars, and workout stuff.
I love your baskets. Yes, for families on a budget I can see how this post could rub them the wrong way, but I say spoil the people you love and if giving gifts is your love language, go for it! Just scale up or down as your budget allows!
This is the first year we haven’t done baskets for our kids (they are 17,18, and 20). We asked them if they would prefer a bunch of candy in a basket, or if they would rather we take the basket money and all go out to dinner together instead. So we’re off to dinner tonight! Since our 2 oldest kids are in college and both work part-time, too, it’s pretty rare for everyone to be free to go out together. This mama is soooo looking forward to our evening! (Although I have to admit, I couldn’t not get them ANYTHING, so they each are getting a little paper bag with a couple of their favorite candies tonight. Ha!)
I’m sorry, I just re-read my comment and realized it might have come across as snarky toward you, Katie! I meant that the gift-giving part or Christmas (dozens of wrapped gifts per kid, large expensive items, etc), not the events/celebration.
I love this 🙂
xo – kb
Thanks Ashley!
xo – kb
Can you screen shot that for me? Sometimes the ads get added by our ad network with us not knowing. There will be sidebar ads and one on the bottom that ‘sticks’ (but you can close it) but any others aren’t approved 🙁
xo – kb
That sounds amazing!
xo – kb
We do Easter baskets and an egg hunt. Our baskets are very similar to yours. Everyone gets something a little different because my kids are more spread out and have different interests (10, 5 and 2). My mom also makes the kids an Easter basket and usually does summer items instead of candy like bathing suit, towel and sunglasses. We try to do less candy in the basket because they will get candy in their eggs. It will be my daughters first time really participating with collecting eggs this year, im so excited!!