The other day I was going shopping for my kids for Easter. We usually don't make much of a big deal over Easter around here. My aunt sends all sorts of stuff for the kids for Easter (which is fantastic) so I don't make too much of an effort. Usually I make a bigger deal about Ostara (the Pagan version of Easter). The kids especially like that because it's a special family holiday.
This year I decided to do something different. I'm actually going to make Easter baskets for the kids. This year Easter was almost a full month after Ostara, so I wasn't able to find as much to put together for the kids this year. Surprisingly they seemed to come out with a lot of things late this year. Usually they've got stuff out plenty early, but I guess Easter isn't as big as I remember it being, or maybe in Texas it's just more of a religious holiday. This year has been a little different, so we decided to do Easter instead this year.
As I went shopping, I had a few things in mind. I wanted a focus on arts and crafts and things that could be reused. Everything should have some greater purpose than just being something cool for Easter. I'm trying to avoid candy, but there's going to have to be some favorites from my childhood. I think it's important to hold on things from your own childhood. That's how traditions are started.
When I arrived at the craft store, I had a plan. I needed some Easter eggs. My aunt usually sends some, but I wanted to have a few more on hand. I'm going to be picking up some special things to put in the eggs from me, maybe some small things of paint, or perhaps I'll could put in small seed packets so we can start a container garden. I've got some ideas. After the eggs I moved on to some crafts. I got a kit to make a foam critter wall hanging for each of their rooms, a little kit with an Easter egg ornament to color, and one special craft for each of the kids. My daughter got a bracelet making kit and my son got a stained glass window set with Snoopy. Last, I decided to actually get baskets this year. I'd seen the spring buckets in the Easter section, but my aunt always sends some. I didn't want to get the typical basket with the bright colors and the huge handle. They're not terribly practical. Instead I picked out some cute square baskets that happened to be on sale. They're very similar to the baskets people use as organizers in rooms.
Obviously the crafts stuff has a purpose, but what about the rest of it? I've already mentioned the egg shakers. We're going to find some gravel and seeds to make some of our own. The baskets are also going to become homeschooling baskets for each of the kids. While the youngest is a little too young to have his own homeschool basket, I can keep it for when he's older. For the time being, we can use it to put his blocks in there or something.
When shopping for holidays, it's best to think of things that can be reused in some other way. Easter baskets are a great item to make other use of, especially if you shop wisely. In my case I could get one in the colors each of my children prefer (well, a color my daughter at least likes because they didn't have purple). If you choose your items well, they can be functional and fun. All it takes is a little preparation! Planning your seasonal purchases not only saves you money in the long run (because of those impulse buys), but also allows you to plan for the most reusable items!
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