THE EGGS
It all started when I decided I wanted to buy Easter eggs that were made in America . I found these for only $1.95/dozen and was thrilled - until I realized that shipping was another $8.
But after browsing around online, I realized that was about as cheap as I was going to pay for eggs that were made in the USA.
You can pay even more if you'd like these "eco-friendly" made in the USA eggs.
Then I had a revolutionary (to me) thought - why not keep our Easter simple by just hunting for eggs that don't have anything in them? We could hide the eggs that we dyed together the day before - that would be a very economical option. Or even more fun, I could oogle all the egg options on Etsy and blow lots of money in the name of supporting independent crafters.
Fabric Eggs
There is a wide variety of types of eggs and types of fabrics out there.
Rattle Eggs
Such a cute idea for baby's first Easter.
Wooden Eggs
You can get them plain and paint them yourself, or you can get them already dyed. Bonus: you can tell yourself they're a Montessori toy and use them year-round.
Counting Eggs
In case you're like my husband and want to sneak learning into everything.
Unique Eggs
i.e., all the interesting random eggs that didn't fall into a neat category but still intrigued me.
She says they're real hand-painted eggs, but I can't figure out what the eggs are made of. Wood? Plastic? Real eggs? Whatever they are, there are lots of fun paint jobs!
You can put treasures inside.
Cover your eggs with everything from monsters to superheros.
Easter egg chalk. I like this idea for a basket filler!
If you're in the market for bulk egg purchases, these are put together by people with disabilities in Springfield, Missouri. What a neat option!
In the midst of my debating over which type of eggs were the best option for our family, my husband came home with a package of cheapo made-in-China plastic eggs from the grocery store. Well, that answered that question. Now came a bigger question - what to put inside them?
THE FILLER
There is no chance I'll be putting candy in my 16 month old's eggs. In fact, I'd personally rather not have any type of food in them, healthy or not. But does that really limit us to plastic junk that we'll step on several times until my husband gets frustrated and throws it away?
The ideal, in my mind, is some sort of set of small toys that would give the sense of getting a lot of gifts (or at least enough to fill a few eggs) but really would only bring one new toy into our home. At this stage of our lives - only one child who's still just a toddler - that meant I was leaning towards something like a set of refrigerator magnets or finger puppets. We ultimately decided that this year we'll be filling our eggs with barrettes and bows, since Miriam loves hair accessories. (She really loves them. For like a month there as soon as she woke up, she would point insistently toward her bows until I took her over to them and put one in her hair.
Before I'd decided on bows, I was leaning towards mini refrigerator magnets, and I just have to share some of the cute ones I found on Etsy. (I don't have to mention that these and really anything small enough to fit in an egg may be a choking hazard, do I? Also, don't forget to check the measurements to make sure your fillers will fit in your eggs!)
Magnets from Scrabble tiles - you could totally do that yourself!
A bit pricey for just one, but very cute.
Seeing as Easter is about Him.
I recently discovered Happy Saints and am completely in love with them.
I'm also looking forward to the days when we have older children and can do some other neat ideas, like the ones listed here. I love the idea of putting a single puzzle piece in each egg and having the kids put it all together after the hunt. I also think it would be neat to do some sort of letter scramble - so a letter in each egg that the kids have to put together to spell out "Christ is Risen" or another word or phrase. You could do each word in a different color if you wanted to make it easier.
THE BASKET
Once we had a handle on our egg situation, it was time to figure out the Easter basket. In addition to outlawing candy, we also wanted to avoid stuffed animals, since we already have two trash bags full of them in our basement. A couple people suggested an Easter swimsuit every year, which is a fun idea. I also toyed with putting her Easter dress in her basket, which would be easy and practical while still being cute. We still may start that tradition, actually, depending on what I find for her basket next year!
There are also your classic fall-back fillers like crayons (especially if your stash is getting shabby), coloring books (especially Easter themed), stickers, bubbles, etc.
But what is Miriam getting her basket this year? A dust pan.
What can I say? The girl likes to sweep, and I'd like to be able to use our other dust pan while she "helps" me. When I saw the fun-colored set for half off, I jumped at it. (And yes, it is unfortunately made in China.)
In this Easter bunny's defense, a dustpan isn't all she's getting.
She is also getting a book about the true Easter story (in addition to this one that we've been reading throughout Lent, which I found at the superstore) and a set of religious cookie cutters. It might not sound like much (or I guess it might sound like a lot, depending on what you grew up with), but her basket is stuffed to the brim!
That was intentional, too, by the way - instead of buying a nice big basket I'm just reusing the small plush one my mom got her last year.
THE SURROUNDINGS
Okay, we have the kiddie stuff under control. Now how to keep myself under control? I have a weakness, and it is generic jelly beans. (Not the name brand - they're entirely too flavorful.) I start picking out the orange, then polish off the purple, then work my way through the pink. The red and yellow are next, and if I'm really lacking self-control, the white follow. My sweet mother knows I like those infernal generic jelly beans, and so she makes sure to have a bowl full of them for me to munch on. Next to the bowl of chocolate eggs. And the bowl of pastel M&Ms. And bowls of whatever other Easter candy she picked up. Not to mention the milk chocolate bunny. And dessert.
Instead of insisting she stifle her good hostess urges and ditch the candy on every counter, it's much easier for me to control our own environment. So the last and perhaps most important way we're preparing to celebrate a candy-free Easter is by offering to host the family gathering. There will still be dessert (most likely carrot cake in the shape of a cross, beside homemade vanilla ice cream), but we won't end the day focusing on our overstuffed tummies and our guilt at having eaten that entire bowl of candy. And hopefully that will leave more room to focus on the real point of Easter and our joy at our Savior's resurrection.
What are your Easter traditions? What's in your eggs and baskets? How do you avoid overdoing candy, or do you not even bother?