Easter!

[mama to B]

Everywhere you go now there's Easter stuff so what's the bunny bringing your kids! Last year I went way overbored with "stuff" stuff she never used such a waste! This year I'm trying to keep it to things she really likes or needs. She will be getting bubbles, sand toys, chalk, probably a kite, a ball for outside, a tinker bell dish set, a leap frog text and learn, a game, puzzles, coloring books, I will also likely get her a new outfit sandles, a toy, and treats. I will do a Easter egg hunt around the house to! I'm debating back and forth about getting her a trampoline and a jeep for Easter. There both things I'd like to get her to have this summer and since she has a fall birthday they aren't something I could do for a birthday present. So I'm thinking basket, eggs, toys will be from the bunny but then I'll get at least one of the bigger items from me? Does anyone else do bigger items for Easter? Dd is only 2 1/2 so I don't think she will expect big things like that every year. Do you think she will expect it? I'm trying to stay within a budget for get basket since last year I probably spent over 300 on it but the bigger thing would be more of a splurge.

[GardenStream]

Apparently we're Easter scrooges. We spend $20 per child. They'll get a couple pieces of chocolate, a lot of fruits and one toy. DS1 will get a new game for his leapster explorer and DS2 will get a book. If I decide to splurge they'll get bubbles or sidewalk chalk.

ETA: We're not Christian so it's only a cultural holiday for us and we've never mentioned the Easter bunny to the kids either. Now that I write it out I'm wondering why we even do it??? We usually take a vacation over Easter because it's a nice long weekend.
Edited by GardenStream - 3/17/11 at 10:54am

[ChristyMarie]

Originally Posted by GardenStream 

Apparently we're Easter scrooges. We spend $20 per child. They'll get a couple pieces of chocolate, a lot of fruits and one toy. DS1 will get a new game for his leapster explorer and DS2 will get a book. If I decide to splurge they'll get bubbles or sidewalk chalk.

Um, yeah, us too.

I usually get a reusable "basket" of some sort.  Then a book, a small toy (chalk, bubbles, stickers, etc) and one piece of chocolate.

We color about a dozen eggs and hide them.

This year I was thinking of "splurging" on a $10 voice changer toy I saw.

[e13lorena]

I usually do a couple small things in the basket that they can really use - fun socks, new undies, a book and then a couple of non-easter treats of something they really like, but I rarely buy for them - like a 4-pack of Hawiaan Bread, a couple fruit roll-ups and maybe something sour and beef jerky.

For Eggs - we hid about 30 per kid (colored coded so the 12-yos are harder to find than the 7yos) and fill with normal candy (not the novetly Easter candy stuff) - red hots, star bursts, skittles, lemon heads, etc, etc, etc. I might get resesse cup easter ones, but usually not.

All my girls have spring birthdays (March and April) - so I don't go crazy with easter things, it's gotta all fit in the basket, but the baskets are always FULL (it's a special talent I aquired from my mom - easter baskets and stockings are my speciality). I'll have to post a couple pictures of past baskets.

~Erin

[RoundAbout]

We give bigger gifts at Easter because my son has his birthday around Christmas and we limit gifts then so the holidays aren't crazy. It's also nice to give some spring things.

He's getting: the Jan Brett Easter book, some gardening things, art supplies, and some chocolate and treats.  His big gift is a few new pieces for his Haba marble run which he's really taken off with - not a flashy gift but definitely $$.

 

[pianojazzgirl]

We always do an Easter Egg hunt with my best friend's family.  We are both really into not bringing tons of little junky toys into the house so we try to find stuff that is good-quality and will actually get played with.  Our most successful years yet were when we filled the eggs with Lego pieces, and another year when we did Playmobil.  This year we are going to do Playmobil again.  Since before Christmas I've been looking on kijiji and at a local used toy store for good deals on used Playmobil (all my kids ever want is Playmobil!) and when I find something they'd like I buy it and put it away to give at the next holiday.  This year all the kids will be getting a ton of Playmobil animals.  We've managed to get a lot of great stuff that would have cost an arm and a leg to buy new, but we've barely spent anything!  :)  I'll also give each of my kids a chocolate or two and even more Playmobil in their baskets (I'm telling you... they are bonkers for that stuff, lol!).

[honeybunmom]

This year I'm considering a bike from the Easter Bunny for my daughter who will be 5.5.  Her birthday is late October, so, it didn't make sense to present that gift then, nor for Christmas since we live in Chicago.  This would definitely be a one-off.  Otherwise, I've done a hand made basket (knit and felted), felted eggs and filled them with candy and play silks.  And a bunny.  My mom, er, the Easter Bunny, gave me a new bunny every year when I was growing up.  As my daughter gets older, I'll probably give her jewelry in her eggs as well.  For our son, his birthday is in late March, so, sometimes I'm sure it'll even fall on Easter (as does my early April birthday).  He'll just be 2 this year, so, he'll delight in anything.  Overall, I will try to keep it tame and focus on consumables like seeds for growing plants or flowers and candy, and anything that might be a useful addition for play.  Although I think we're pretty well covered there.

[pianojazzgirl]

Originally Posted by pianojazzgirl 

We always do an Easter Egg hunt with my best friend's family.  We are both really into not bringing tons of little junky toys into the house so we try to find stuff that is good-quality and will actually get played with.  Our most successful years yet were when we filled the eggs with Lego pieces, and another year when we did Playmobil.  This year we are going to do Playmobil again.  Since before Christmas I've been looking on kijiji and at a local used toy store for good deals on used Playmobil (all my kids ever want is Playmobil!) and when I find something they'd like I buy it and put it away to give at the next holiday.  This year all the kids will be getting a ton of Playmobil animals.  We've managed to get a lot of great stuff that would have cost an arm and a leg to buy new, but we've barely spent anything!  :)  I'll also give each of my kids a chocolate or two and even more Playmobil in their baskets (I'm telling you... they are bonkers for that stuff, lol!).

ETA I think we are "Easter scrooges" too in that we only spend around $20 per kid (maybe even less this year with the amazing deals I scored!).

[NiteNicole]

We grew up getting a basket of various goodies and hiding real eggs.  I LOVE EASTER!  It's a meaningful holiday and it's so much less stressful than Christmas (which I also love). 

We will make cards for the cousins, aunts, and other friends.

I will try to start her on a simple embroidery project and some simple paper decorations.

We will dye eggs with the cousins (and with my cousins, this is my FAVORITE tradition!).

The kids and my younger cousins hide and hunt eggs all day Sunday.

I'm seeing a Zoobleriffic Easter.  My daughter loves them and my husband went and bought some of the mama and baby ones and some light up ones I think?  So I asked him to hold off till Easter.  My mom also makes Easter baskets for the grandkids, two of my aunts will, and my SIL usually does a basket of things like playdoh and chalk so I don't need to get much for her at all - but I am keeping my eye out for small, inexpensive things to do for my nieces.

I would LOVE to get her a new bike this year because she's outgrown her old one but we will see.

[seashells]

WOW!!! Spending $20 on Easter makes you a Scrooge?!

I don't get anything for DD, and I only get something around $5 for my niece because SIL hosts Easter and I "have" to get her "something." Honestly, I would not even attend Easter if MIL didn't FLIP OUT about it (last year I tried to say I had a work thing and couldn't go - cue major family drama. I ended up going. Sigh.).

So it sounds like Easter is going the way of Christmas now, eh?

[mama to B]

If dds birthday was more spring or summer she wouldn't be getting such a big gift, our birthdays were all fall/winter birthdays as kids so Easter is when we got our bikes, trampoline, bigger outside stuff.

[Drummer's Wife]

We just do baskets with candy, plastic eggs, and maybe a small stuffed bunny.  The kids love finding eggs on Easter morning. 

I don't even know when Easter is this year; I should probably find out.

[doubledutch]

i don't do anything because my mom gives them a basket.  it usually has some candy, maybe a book or movie, and a couple of small toys like a car or playdoh.  growing up, we just got an empty basket and hunted for the plastic eggs with candy.  if my mom didn't do anything for easter . . . i don't know if i would either.  i mean we would probably *do* something, like dye eggs, but i don't really celebrate easter except as a cultural tradition (not religious) and i wouldn't buy gifts.

[TiredX2]

Wow, I really hadn't realized that Easter had become so commercialized.  I'm surprised that there is not more discussion of that, given the outcry about keeping Christ in Christmas. 

That said, this year the kids will get jackets in their basket.  We try to do something they will want for spring/summer each year.  They've gotten crocs, swimsuits, float toys, etc.. in years past.  This year they're both getting Seattle Sounders track jackets.  Basially something we'd end up buying anyway, lol.  Then some candy.

[sagewinna]

Easter is a religious holiday for us, so our focus is on church and church activities Thursday night-Sunday.

My mom does plastic eggs for a hunt at her house, they have a few pennies or a few jelly beans in them. I usually have a few edible items and maybe a trinket, but it's about $5 a kid.

[TiredX2]

Originally Posted by sagewinna 

Easter is a religious holiday for us, so our focus is on church and church activities Thursday night-Sunday.

My mom does plastic eggs for a hunt at her house, they have a few pennies or a few jelly beans in them. I usually have a few edible items and maybe a trinket, but it's about $5 a kid.

This is what I thought Easter was like for most people.  My parents have 19 grandkids (and now 2 great grandkids) so there has always been a large egg hunt with both plastic and real eggs, and some people give candies, but that's about it.

Oh, and I would be very hesitant about giving large gifts for Easter if you are not going to do it every year.  DD distinctly remembers getting water wings for Easter when she was 3, so if we had gotten her something like a bike or trampoline one year I'm sure she would have been confused every other year.  But I also don't consider it "bad" in any way to just buy a major item if it makes sense at a non gifting time.

[beansmama]

My dd's b-day is the first week of April, so typically she just gets a few things in her basket. Even though easter's the end of april this year, I don't plan on making any huge changes. We don't really have any traditions - although I'd like to change that! I think an easter egg hunt with little goodies inside (something cheap - hershey kiss or some m&m's) would be fun. My baskets usually consist of a small chocolate bunny and some jelly beans - usually less than $5. Guess I'm a jumbo scrooge, lol!

[TiredX2]

I remember as a kid thinking Easter was AWESOME.  And we only had "real" eggs for finding (no candy filled) and there was only candy in our baskets.  It was defiantley enough to make it feel like a really special day (plus church & dinner, of course).

[Tumble Bumbles]

Easter (or Resurrection Day) is a religious holiday for us, so no bunnies here, and we focus on the Christ aspect of it.

That having been said, we do a small basket and typically we fill it with fun things for spring -- bubbles, sidewalk chalk, bug-catching kit, sun glasses, a beach ball etc. I'd likely get these things anyway for spring/summer fun, so we just kill two birds with one stone so to speak and do it up in a basket, along with maybe a couple chocolate things.

We do dye eggs because it's a special memory we always did with my beloved grandma as a kid (who's passed now) and it's a way to remember her.

[doubledutch]

i think the outdoor stuff like bubbles and chalk (and rain boots, in our case, would be a great idea) sounds like fun.  since easter is so late this year, though, maybe i will give those things to my kids for the first of spring.