It's almost Easter, and I've just finished putting together the boys' "baskets." Some year's I'll do the typical basket where they receive an actual willow basket full of goodies,
and some year's I'll fill up a wagon,
or a dump truck. That way the "basket" is part of the gift.
We've all seen the commercial baskets that are full of random plastic toys destined to be quickly broken, and discarded.
That's not how I want my boys to celebrate Easter or any other gift giving occasion. Back before Christmas, I came across an article about making Christmas more meaningful by giving just 4 gifts. One Want, one Need, something to Wear, and something to Read.
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I love that concept. My baskets this year have 2 from each of those categories + some candy. SB still believes in the Easter Bunny, and until he stops believing, we won't be discussing giving limits. And you can't very well have 2 from each category in the one basket and not in the other, so WD will be receiving 2 from each category, too. Here's WD's "basket" for this year.
Needs: New lacrosse bag & Tool Kit.
Wants: One movie & one XBox game
Wear: Yankees jersey & Ball cap
Read: The Book of Moe & Whatev's
And here's SB's "basket." I couldn't open it up without having everything spill out, but his 4 categories read a lot like WD's, only with books more suited for a 7 yr old. The carry-on bag will be SB's first formal piece of luggage as he's always traveled with just a backpack.
And here's the labels I use. I use my photo-editing software to add names to the tags, print them out, punch holes in the corner, and add a length of ribbon. You can print out your own by right clicking on the tags, and saving it.
How do you handle Easter baskets? Is it a chocolate explosion? A new iPod? We live in an area where some of WD's classmates are expecting iPads(with an a) for Easter. I'd love to know if I'm on track, being a miser, or even too generous. Thanks for popping in and talking baskets with me.
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Funny my boys only want a box of sweedish fish and gift card...makes me sad not to do the baskets anymore!
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of the four gifts and with a new 6 month old grandson, the dump truck idea will be adorable for next Easter!! You are going to have two mighty excited boys on Sunday ~
ReplyDeleteYou give good baskets! Kevin and Cameron just got some candy and money in eggs equaling 20.00
ReplyDeleteNo iPad here! I usually try and give them something they need along with the easter egg hunt but we do limit the chocolate as I'm the one who ends up eating it.
ReplyDeletemy husband and I finished the Easter baskets after midnight last night. 9 of them. My college graduate kids still love those baskets..it is fun!!
ReplyDeleteWe only do 2 Christmas gifts (usually a "want" and a "read", or with one of those replaced by a "need"... but a fun need, like the sports bag or tools), and no gifts at Easter... Just decorated eggs, some jelly beans, and some chocolate... The malt ball "Robin's Eggs" are a must. They're fun, but not a big deal. The hunt is the big fun of it all... but before church, so quick!
ReplyDeleteLove the idea of the baseball bag and the suitcase! I have a boy too and try to incorporate the basket as part of the gift. This year I bought a toy storage bin so that it could be used for toy storage in his room after the holiday. Also like to include non-candy gifts. This year I created an easter egg hunt for my son that included a riddle and prizes like activities (i.e. go to a movie) to be used at a later date.
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