HOLIDAYS 2009 ~ Moms & dads: How do you celebrate Easter at your house?

[MrsPinecone]

On my baby board, people are talking about what to put in their kid's Easter basket, and I am in shock. I don't give that many gifts for birthdays or Christmas, let alone what I consider a purely religious holiday.

Easter is the most important holiday in the Orthodox Christian chuch calendar, not a present free for all.

I would estimate that some of these women are spending well over $100 per basket. Toys (some really big ones), books, bathing suits, lots of candy, etc.

How do you handle it?

[GJohnson39]

We never made a big deal out of Easter PRESENTS, but our DD friends all did - we are in the minority not being Catholic, so I chalked it up to that. We were also in the minority who didn't do St. Nick's.

I always buy candy to have around the house, but my girls are 13 & 16, so they are past the age for baskets.

[VivaciousJewelz]

Well, the way my mom always did it (and the way I will do it when my kids are born) was that we always went to church first and then when we came home, my mom had a small Easter basket for me. It was a very small basket, that usually had 5 plastic eggs or so filled with candies that I like, and also maybe a small gift that my mom had picked out for me. It was not at all like Christmas or my birthday where my mom asked me what I wanted, she just put together a small basket (usually under $20 or so) that was a nice treat for me, but by no means was this something she went all out for.

Sometimes, also, she would organize an Easter egg hunt for the other kids at my church, which I might do, too. All-in-all though, Easter was never really a big holiday for me outside of the religious aspects.

[MariaT]

Easter is also a religious holiday to us too.

My son will get a little something from me and it's usually a chocolate bunny.

My husband and I have a few godchildren between us so they will also each get a little something.

And, if we are invited to a family member's house for lunch then that host will get a pot of some spring flower like tulips or such.

My son just had his birthday party this past weekend so he's got enough gifts for the rest of the year.

[puakinikini]

I buy my kids bathing suits for Easter - it is the start of the warm season here and they will need them anyways. I put a suit in their basket with a small toy or school supplies (spring themed) and then they hunt for eggs and candy.

[Coriander]

I have never made a big deal out of this holiday either as far as gifts. We always have a nice family meal and when my children were younger, modest baskets and a small egg hunt now that they are older(25,21,14)-chocolate. I have been surprised to hear what people do and how much they do, but then again, we do Christmas & Birthdays BIG!

[daisydog215]

We attend church weekly, so while I agree that Easter is the most important holiday on the theological calendar, Easter isn't really all that out of the ordinary for us.

Kids are 5 and 8. We'll have an egg hunt at our house either Saturday or Sunday. Some eggs are filled with candy, some are filled with coins. Each kid gets an easter basket (received when they were born and has become a special tradition) that has some candy and few small presents. When they were younger, they weren't allowed to have candy, so baskets were small presents only. It is always a mixture of little stuff - fun socks, earrings for DD, stickers, matchbox car for DS, etc. We have a bigger than usual dinner too.

I do make a special effort for them to understand that Easter is not about candy/presents just as Christmas isn't about presents/stockings.

[SyLph211]

Before we used to do the whole easter basket and candy deal but since my daughter was born with a special condition, She cannot have candy or any of that type of stuff, we will be doing a big type easter egg hunt with two "special" eggs that they can trade in for a special prize. It should make for a really fun and special time for both the kids. We also have the family dinner and church.

[jillibean_1978]

I don't really do much of anything. Maybe get some plastic eggs to hide. Might see if we can get them a small item. But doubtful. This year will very low key.

[jolly321]

I use the same Easter basket every year. Then I put a little candy in it and add a bathing suit and flip flops. Since these things are needed anyway for the summer, I will go ahead and take care of it with the Easter basket. This is what my parents did for me too. I would say I spend about $20 for everything. I normally get the swim suit from clearance the year before and save it until Easter the next year, of course I buy it one size bigger.