The Easter Bunny has come and gone, as well as the whirlwind of family members this weekend. Right now, we're trying to settle our family and home back down in the aftermath.
This year, we took a lighter approach to the Easter holidays. Partly driven by budget and busyness and partly due to the fact we just have a lot of "stuff," we lightened our children's loads and the gift baskets. Not that we overbought in previous years, but we emphasized to our family that our kids just don't need a bunch of trinkets. And the grandparents listened.
My mother handmade paper bunny baskets for each of the kids and included one small chocolate bunny - perfect for little bodies who don't need pounds of sugar.
My grandmother bought a Caterpillar toy for the toddler, who loves to push cars around, and a shovel, garden gloves and wheelbarrow for my preschooler. She keeps begging to use them in the garden and dig. I don't have the heart to tell her that her seeds just haven't arrived yet!
The Easter baskets included an Easter book for each kid, Legos for the toddler (who prefers them to buzzing and blinking toys) and a headband for his sister, who's been begging us for weeks. And they were thrilled!
No one cared that I trotted out my old baskets and decade-old plastic grass. No one cared that the Easter Bunny hid the same plastic eggs (with the same candy) that came home from the babysitters on Thursday. And I do care that the sitter wants those plastic eggs returned - less stuff in my home, and less trash generated!
I'll admit it was a simple Easter. But no children were harmed in the process!
My daughter actually asked to re-use her old (falling apart) Easter basket. And I didn't have any old plastic grass, but the bunny made some by shredding paper bags (which were then composted). Kids are really very easy to please, I think it's the adults that are driven to go overboard.
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