Easter baskets

So Easter has crept up on me and I'm unprepared. :gah: Help me out! What's going in your baskets this year??

 

I'm totally NOT a fan of little pieces of clutter that are traditionally in Easter baskets and my kids aren't fans of most of the traditional Easter treats.

For Timothy, he's getting a DS game and a Luigi game case to hold DS games. Sarah is getting a matching girl/doll shirt from American Girl (I found it on clearance as a leftover from the Lanie doll about 9 months ago). She's also getting Kaya's winter accessories to go with the Native American doll outfit that my mom made for her dolls.

For candy, I get some reese's eggs or small chocolate eggs and one of those carrots made with reese's pieces. Neither of them like jelly beans and they won't eat the big chocolate bunnies.

So, I'm spending a bit more on the stuff, but it won't junk up the house and they'll actually use it. My mil tends to do Easter baskets of tons of $1 items, and I honestly have a hard time controlling my urge to throw things away.

Marissa

 

I try to get stuff they like that is not 'trinkety- broken in 10 seconds'..




Our eggs will be stuffed with:

lego pieces (I bought a small bucket of pink/purple/lime green/white legos) a few in each egg

fruit snacks (the only candyish stuff)

a few pencil topper squinkies

erasers (cute ones for school or at home)

quarters & dimes (they LOVE money)

little pet shop animals (2 each)

stickers (a few per egg)



Baskets:


Only hearts club doll (clearance from last year)
Lego Friends small kit (8.99 each)
new crayons/markers
bubbles
pretty spring socks
a new shirt bought on clearance last year
small stuffed dog (they LOVE dogs)
3-4 books (both girls like the Rainbow Magic Fairy books and AG choose your own adventure type books).



So simple, not terribly expensive ( less than $25 each), no gimicky stuff, and all things they like/use.

 

Frankly, it bugs me that Easter has turned into one more holiday we have to give gifts for. When I was a kid, no one I knew got gifts in their Easter baskets, just eggs and a little candy. Now it seems to almost rival Christmas and birthdays. That's not to say we've never done it, just that the more I think about it, the more it bothers me. It's a sacred holiday to me, so that's probably a big part of my unease over the whole thing. So our baskets are a few little goodies, and maybe a journal and a fun pen to write in it or something similar. And my kids do get new things to wear for Easter. I have Sydney's and Sabrina's dresses made and Sage's cut out. I'll make ties for the boys. I had a friend years ago who said that if you didn't get something new to wear for Easter the bluebird of happiness would poop on you, LOL. I have no idea where that came from but I think of it every spring when I'm sewing for my kids.

 

Same here. We always have candy left over from previous holidays that my kids don't eat so I don't like getting that either. I usually do summer stuff but we have this year already.


Thanks for the input ladies!

 

I always put stuff in the basket that I would need to buy anyways.

Bathing suits
Spring jacket
Flip flops
Books
Beach towels
Bubbles
Watches

1 smaller bunny, some jelly beans, and maybe another candy. We do an Easter egg hunt as well, so more candy will be in those, but I try to do mostly stickers or temporary tattoos in the eggs.

 

We'll probably put some seeds to plant, jump ropes I forgot to give them for their birthday, some books I forgot to put in their christmas stockings (see a trend here!?), and stickers in easter eggs for their hunt. I might get a little bit of chocolate, but we are not big into candy and I don't like to make yet another holiday about candy.

 

I'm not quite here yet, but I just picked up some things at home goods for the kids yesterday for Easter. We are going to be planting a garden this year, so I got all of them a three piece set of tools. And, they are huge into helping us cook in the kitchen, and I found an apron and chef hat for each of them. Anthony is going to be beyond excited! Lol! I will also get some candy, but go small, as we have egg hunts and other family members to see.

But I do like the money in the eggs idea! We have one of those huge water bottles from the big bubblers, and they are saving up their money for a trip to Disney. Time to go look for coins in the couch cushions...

 

I get stuff I'd end up buying anyway. They typically get pool/beach stuff, a book and some candy.

 

I picked up a movie for each of them (Muppets & Hop), kites and am going to get some bubbles as well. I might also throw in a board game and then the only candy they get will be in the eggs we hide. I try not to go overboard with Easter. This year candy will be limited as well because DH and I are both trying to loose weight and we have no willpower when it comes to snack sized candy in the house.

 

Holy cow, our baskets are nothing compared to some of the above. :blush:

They each are getting a small egg with teeny bag of Skittles and M&M's, then we got some tic-tacs and gum and a few other little things from the Target dollar aisle and the dollar aisle in Michael's...notepads, fun sunglasses, waterguns, dress your own paper doll, etc. We don't usually do "gifts" in their Easter baskets, just small things.

 

I feel the same way. I have friends that spend $100 or more on their kids Easter baskets. To each their own, I guess, but I just can't. ardon:

 

My kids get a chocolate Easter bunny, jelly beans, gum, and some other little candies. They also get a new outfit and maybe a book. That's it. Their baskets aren't that huge, so when I put this stuff in, they are quite full.

 

We don't make it a big production and try to include mostly stuff they'd get anyway. This year, they're each getting:

-1 small dark chocolate bunny

-some art supplies

-probably a set of summer PJs/nightgown, if I can find anything I like

That's it.

 

When I was a kid, we got jelly beans, chocolate eggs, a chocolate bunny, a book and a toothbrush!

I pretty much do the same, although the book might be a DS game (bought on clearance) a video, again bought on clearance, or if I'm lazy, a gift card to barnes and noble to pick their own book. Every year they get a new toothbrush.

I have in the past included small stuffed animals, stickers, lolipops,reeces eggs, peeps.


Our eggs usually include jelly beans and m & m's, skittles and mini choc bars. SMALL amounts only.

 

The girls are getting bubbles, sidewalk chalk, an outfit each and some goodies. I am not getting a ton of candy because they still have their Valentines Candy they have not eaten.

 

Each kid is getting a chocolate hollow Easter bunny, some cake pops, candy, and a game (PSP for Luke and Explorer for girls). We normally do not buy games for our kids except on Christmas or birthdays (which are also in Dec) so this year we decided to stick one in their basket.

 

It snuck up on me so, they received a few pieces of candy and a chocolate bunny in their basket. We just finished spring break so all craft stuff I had picked up we used. they I had slightly larger chocolate eggs and put coins in plastic eggs and they were pretty excited about searching for those. They don't know you are "supposed" to get stuff in the baskets. I may start putting toothpaste and brushed in the basket from now on. I had been doing it at Christmas but they normally have a cleaning at that time so it is redundant.