Dear Easter Bunny,
I know this is your busy season, so I won’t take up too much of your time.
First, let me just come out and say it—you’re adorable. The pastel bow-ties, the cotton tail, your baby chick friend, there. You’ve got it all.
The Easter morning discovery of the beautiful baskets you’ve left and the treat-filled eggs you’ve carefully hidden brings great joy and is a beloved tradition. I can only imagine the amount of work it takes to pull all of that together and make the holiday magical for all, so thank you!
If I may be so bold, Easter Bunny, I’ve got a few suggestions for you this year.
Can We Cut Back on the Candy a Little?
I don’t want to alarm you, but we people have discovered that sugar is basically toxic, and you don’t even want to know what problems some food colors have been linked to. Bummer, huh?
The thing is, the kids don’t really need an entire basket filled to the brim with cheap candy. Perhaps a quality, dark chocolate bunny (Hint: check out the gorgeous chocolate Jacques Torres is offering this Easter. Yum!) and some organic bunny crackers would be enough to delight them on Easter morning? Just a thought.
Easter eggs can be filled with non-candy items, too, like stickers, coins, erasers, or broccoli. (Just kidding about the broccoli.)
Santa Literally Just Left
So, I know you enjoy rounding out the contents of the Easter Basket with all kinds of fun, brightly colored toys to excite everybody, but Christmas was like five minutes ago and some of us are still trying to come up with storage solutions for all that St. Nick delighted us with.
Suggestions: Aim for Consumables
Instead of expensive toys, perhaps this Easter our baskets could be rounded out with items our kids can use such as the following:
1. Gardening Tools
What better way to celebrate the arrival of spring than with the promise of a children’s garden? Seeds, sprouts, and kid-friendly tools will look lovely in the Easter basket and have kids looking forward to the season ahead.
2. Backyard Bird Items
It is so much fun for kids to learn about and observe the many bird varieties they can attract to a garden. Bird feeders, birdseed, a bird house, binoculars, or a field guide to birds would each fit nicely in an Easter basket.
3. Feed Their Interests
Easter Bunny, you know each and every one of these kids so well, and you know they each have unique interests and hobbies. Art supplies for the crafter, cooking supplies for the budding chef, yarn for the knitter—these items are all very basket friendly.
4. Keep It Seasonal
With the arrival of spring, most kids could use a refresher in certain areas: a new jump rope, sidewalk chalk, bubbles, an umbrella, rain boots, sunglasses, OR a kite. How about some of those for the Easter basket, Easter Bunny?
5. Never Too Many Books
Of course, kids can never have too many books, and most fit into baskets quite nicely. Some of my favorite books for Easter time are “The Tale of Peter Rabbit” by Beatrix Potter, “Who Hid the Easter Eggs?” by Pirkko Vainio, and “The Easter Egg” by Jan Brett.
6. The Must-Have Stuffed Bunny
I hear ya, Easter Bunny. An Easter basket is incomplete without an adorable stuffed animal rabbit or lamb. The good news is there are some beautiful options from companies that are not made in China, under questionable circumstances.
So, there you have it, E.B. Just some thoughtful ideas from one mom to one magical rabbit. Stay adorable! Happy Easter.