‘Twas two nights before Easter, and all through the house, Mom was wandering and wondering, “What should I do for the kids for Easter this year?” Ok, so that’s not exactly poetic, but the truth is, I haven’t done Easter baskets for my kids in quite some time. My youngest is seven, my oldest fourteen, and I just cannot remember the last time I did something for Easter. Am I terrible mom or WHAT? I grew up with Easter baskets on Easter morning, and I came out unscathed and with a clear picture of what Easter is really about. And yet…a couple of years ago, I kinda just gave up on the idea.
Honestly, I think my pushback was an aversion to the way stores like Target and Wal-Mart seem to market Easter as a “2nd Christmas” in terms of pushing toys. Target had big toy coupons in their ad this week. Spend $40 on toys, get $5 back, discounts like that. I KNOW it’s because of Easter baskets. And, it makes me feel ICKY. We’ve already made commercialization of Christ’s birth a super-shameful enterprise, do we have to see dollar signs when we think about his BRUTAL death and his MIRACULOUS resurrection, too?
I can’t.
The past few years we’ve done a fun family Easter egg hunt, and that’s it. Time with cousins and enough candy for the kiddos. This year, much of my family will be out of town so that’s not happening. Plus, my youngest is currently on a no-dairy, no-sugar diet so it’s kind of a relief not to have to have him search for eggs and then take away all the spoils.
After hemming and hawing, I’ve decided to go with something a little more solid for my kids for Easter, and no, it won’t be in basket form: I’m getting them books. BOOKS! Yes, I can hear your groans through my computer screen. But the fact is, they all love to read, and I’d like to give them something significant they can hold onto long after Easter Sunday. So here’s what they’re getting:
