“Where is the Easter basket box?” I glance at my husband who is just kicking his feet up after a long day at work. He’s going to say it. I know he’s going to say. He gives me that look. His eyebrows bunch. And then he says it.
“What Easter basket box?”
My hands automatically go to my hips. In through the nose, out through the mouth, I tell myself. “The cardboard box. It was on the top shelf in the garage? I bought really cute baskets last year because I got tired of buying new, cheap ones every Easter. They end up in the landfill, and I thought it just made more sense to buy some decorative baskets and reuse them.”
“Well . . . I . . .” –Hubby looks a little nervous– “thought they were . . . just baskets . . . you weren’t using.” He rushes to validate his action. “Mice chewed holes in most of them so I tossed them when I was making room for the Christmas decorations. I’m sorry. You can get more, right?”
And so began my love/hate relationship with Easter Baskets
You’ve been there. I know you’ve been there. You store the stack of plastic buckets, but they take up so much room and the handles break as you’re trying to pry them apart, so you throw them out. You buy the super cheap woven baskets in bright colors and throw them in the garbage after they’ve been emptied and squashed by sugar-manic children. So you buy really cute, more-expensive-but worth-it-cause-you’re-going-to-reuse-them baskets. And you might for a couple years but then a child complains about getting old baskets. About twelve years into parenting, I’d had enough!!! I sought out Easter basket ideas that didn’t break the bank, contribute to an overburdened landfill, were new and exciting, and didn’t take up a ton of space.
Unfortunately, there weren’t any baskets that fit these criteria. My oldest son was in baseball and signups were right around the corner. His batting helmet was worn and too small. As I stood in the sports section of Walmart contemplated this AND Easter, the heavens opened, light descended, angels sang, and I envisioned myself being handed the Mom of the Year award by Erma Bombeck herself. (If you don’t know who she is, you’re missing out. She is the mom of all moms. If newspapers were tik tok back when she was alive, she’d be trending. You should seriously buy a book. I don’t get commissions yet, so I’m not saying this to make money. Someday.)
Anyway . . . I knew I was brilliant and here’s why.
THE GIFT IS THE BASKET
Easter is another chance to put together a smaller, more meaningful gift basket — not just a ton of candy. Fifteen years earlier, I’m in college. Easter is coming, and I decide to make an Easter basket for my Mom. I put together a basket with her favorite things. She loved wicker baskets, so I was in luck. I found a couple beautiful lace handkerchiefs from an antique store, a small Boston fern, a book, and a Big Hunk candy bar. I didn’t have a lot of money, but total everything came to probably five or six dollars. She cried. I did not know this beforehand, but she had never received an Easter Basket. During World War II, when she was a child, there wasn’t money or rations cards to do that. And she was one of twelve children.
Remembering that Easter, I bought the batting helmet, a few baseballs, the bat he needed and proceeded to do the same thing for the other four children. Add in a little candy and Easter morning was a hit!
This blog focuses on teen and adult gifts, since that’s what I have at home. With my mom is recently gone, I think about that Easter and how to make teenage foster kids – who may never have had an Easter basket either – happy. You can apply the same concept to children – like I did.
WANT – NEED – WEAR – READ
At Christmas, I buy presents based on this saying: Something they want, something they need, something to wear, something to read. Easter baskets are a very loosy goosy rendition of this. You don’t need to get something from every category, but it will help you think of what you want to put in the “basket”.
Want
What does most everyone want at Easter? CANDY! This is adaptable to anything people want. Maybe a hobby like gardening or sports provides a want you can fill. My baskets are usually focused on a theme, and the examples will demonstrate that.
Need
Like my son needed a new helmet, is there a need that can be filled as a gift? Are they out of paints for art? Does your husband need some supplies to baby his ride? It’s spring, does the gardener in your life need some seeds? A sun hat?Are the baking and cooking utensils getting worn? You get the idea.
Wear
Thankfully there are a lot of things that fall into this category. The first thing we think of are clothes or shoes. But you can wear lotion, jewelry, a purse, hats, perfume, etc. Think outside the box on this one.
Read
I love books, so any excuse to buy another one is GREAT! You can get magazines on a favorite subject. If you get a gift that has to be put together, they’ll have to read instructions.
EASTER BASKET IDEAS
Here are nine examples of the baskets I’m giving this year or simply had fun putting together.
1. Automotive Easter Basket
My husband needed an oil drain pan. Perfect Easter Basket. I loaded up on a variety of inexpensive car items from Dollar Tree. Tucked away in a laundry room cabinet, I had a wash pad I’d picked up at a thrift store (unused of course). Beef jerky, some soda, and a few other items from Walmart rounded this basket out just right. In my Easter decorations, I had a bunch of shredded paper to help take up some of the space. I could have used easter grass, but it didn’t seem very manly.
Other things you could get: jumper cables, emergency kit, window shade, trash receptacle (oooh, another basket), aux cords, floor mats, and music.
2. Gardening Bountiful Basket
Honestly, this could be my basket. Spring is coming, and I yearn to get outside and start planting. Seeing as how it’s still a little too chilly, this planter, tools, and seeds to start indoors are a great alternative. When I saw the Boston fern, I had to have it. This is the second Easter Mom’s been gone, so anything that makes me think of her is sweet. I couldn’t pass up the Gardening Almanac, either.
There were so many great garden items at Dollar Tree, it took a lot of control to not fill my cart. A watering pot would also make a cute basket.
3. Coffee Lover’s Easter Basket
Whether you have a coffee pot, a Keurig, or an espresso machine, you’re sure to find a multitude of items to please your coffee lover. The black wire basket is perfect for organizing coffee pods.
We try new types of coffee, regularly, so I watch for something new on sale. For Christmas, my husband won a bag of whole coffee beans from Perkatory, the local coffee shop, and they were amazing. A gift card to your local shop would make a great addition to this Easter basket. You could also use a giant mug or one with a special message as your basket.
4. Out and About Basket
Outdoor themed baskets have multiple possibilities. I have a foster son who is interested in trying fishing. We have numerous poles, so he didn’t require one of those (and I wanted to keep the budget low), so I decided on a net, a crappie fishing kit, and a hook disgorger. This is a must-have for easily removing the hook from a fish’s mouth, especially if you plan on releasing, and they’re inexpensive at Walmart. Gummy worms are a fun candy to add. Since he’s not high on soda or candy, I got him some of his favorite alternatives. The net makes a great basket that I plan on hanging from his door with a wreath hanger, as shown.
Another option would be a tackle box. There are so many great lures, bates, and accessories for the fisherman in your life. Psst — my husband loves the polarized, antiglare fishing sunglasses.
5. Artistic Easter Basket
There is no end to the possibilities with this theme. Watercolor, acrylic, chalking, sculpting, charcoal pencil, markers, and a million surfaces to choose from.
Since I’m a representative for Chalk Couture, I chose a surface, transfer, three-color paint packet singles, a paint tray, a couple types of squeegees. Not only can my foster daughter use the bag for supplies, but she can also chalk paint it as well. We both love Twix, so the bag will have plenty of those. For staging the bag Easter morning, I use grocery bags stuffed into the bottom, along with fake grass. If you’re interested in learning more about Chalk Couture and browsing through their many amazing transfers, paints, and surfaces, feel free to visit my shop.
6. Homebody Basket
Giving a special Easter basket that focuses on the needs of the homebound is a great way to show love. The elderly, people with chronic illnesses, and mothers of newborns are just a few of these people. Having a basket full of the necessities is helpful and much appreciated.
Hydration is an issue for everyone, but especially those nursing and the elderly. When you don’t feel good, it’s hard to remember to drink enough, as well. That’s why I included a 48 oz. insulated cup. If you’re stuck in a chair, it’s nice to have a 10 ft. charging cord long enough to reach wherever you’re most comfortable. Books and word games help keep the mind stimulated and ward off boredom. A booklight is handy if you’re feeding a baby in the middle of the night or have a roommate you don’t want to wake. When you’re ill, light and noise sensitivity might be a problem, so a sleeping mask and ear plugs can be beneficial. I can’t wear the regular earphones because they hurt the insides of my ears, so I bought bone conduction earphones that rest on the outside of my ears. This way I can also carry on a conversation with others. You might also consider snacks, water flavoring, tissues, handwipes, warm socks, and lotion.
7. Basket for the Bookworm
Speaking of books, a basket full of books would make a perfect gift for me. Choose a collection from their favorite author or authors. If you don’t know, select a wide variety of genres: poetry, self-help, fantasy, nonfiction, westerns, memoires. A book light might be helpful. If they wear glasses, you could include some glass cleaning wipes. For those who prefer electronic books, you could include a gift card to buy books. I have a couple kids who like to listen to their books and have asked for “donations” to their Audible account.
Books are pricey, so do what I do and visit a thrift store. Books range from twenty-five cents to a couple dollars. Thrift stores are a great place to find other items like games, sporting goods, toys, and Easter decorations. Your purchase from a non-profit thrift store also supports a worthy cause.
8. Pets’ Easter Basket
Let’s not forget our other family members – our pets. Our English Bulldog, Sweet Blossom, needed a new waterer, so I included her in our Easter Basket gift giving.
Basket items could include toys, treats, collars, leashes, beds (great basket, too), travel water bottle, training collars, habitat accessories, and darling outfits, just to name a few. There are different needs for different pets, so get creative.
9. Sports Easter Basket
And so we end where we began — with sports. Let your imagination go wild with this one. Every sport has an endless list of items you need to buy: uniforms, safety equipment, balls, hats, gloves, and so on and so forth.
A very simple and inexpensive Easter basket could include a baseball cap from a favorite sports team, candy, drink, and something from their sport. In this case, I chose a baseball, sunflower seeds, a soda, and some Easter candy.
BASKETS
Anything can be used as a basket if it can hold something. You can even fashion a blanket into a basket. Check out this link for a blanket ball you could tuck all kinds of goodies and presents into. Or this link to a towel basket filled with lotions, face masks, and body spray.
Think of a theme and you can probably come up with something that will hold candy and gift items.
YOUR TURN
Share a unique idea for an Easter basket you’ve created. If this blog has inspired an idea, what are you planning? What is a favorite basket you’ve received?
Leave a Reply