With the unfortunate current state of events--a pandemic that has brought the global economy to a screeching halt--Easter will look a bit different this year. With lockdowns and rules in place to keep folks from congregating, there will not be any organized Easter Egg Hunts. With everyone limiting their outings to very infrequent grocery store runs (in an effort to reduce risk of catching the virus or spread it), there will not be any Easter basket shopping at various stores for goodies. And with a global recession and a drastic loss in income for most households, many of us are pinching pennies for priorities: rent/mortgages and food.
First: Give yourself grace.
Your children do not need mega-baskets overflowing with little plastic toys that will entertain them for one afternoon. They don't need plastic bunny Pez dispensers to eat 10 pieces of sugar. They don't need five new books, miniature gardening tools, new spring wardrobes, neon bottles of bubbles, and seven more stuffed toy bunnies. They just don't.
But what we do need during these sad, stressful, scary times is MAGIC. We don't need money or stores or Amazon packages or plastic tschotzkes. We need whimsy!
I have two toddlers, so I can only speak from my current experience at this age. But I have a feeling that most children that are of an age to be excited about the Easter Bunny will appreciate the magic you create, far more than a plastic ball-rolling maze in the shape of an egg.
I was playing with dolls in a dollhouse with my girls the other day and my three-year old wanted to pretend that the little girl doll woke up on Easter Day. She asked the mommy doll if the Easter Bunny had come and then the doll ran downstairs in an excitement of this invisible-but-imagined basket sitting on a miniature coffee table. The doll immediately wanted to "go outside" (of the dollhouse) for an Easter Egg Hunt. It occurred to me that my three-year old was not concerned about the goodies in the basket (even though my mommy doll mentioned it), but rather was more excited about finding eggs and putting them into the basket. Her little girl doll proceeded to pick up invisible eggs to put in her invisible basket...exclaiming at the colors as the bent down to the hardwood floors.
So I suddenly stopped feeling any stress or guilt for "not having anything" from the Easter Bunny this year like I've done in the past. The only thing I ordered online were some new rashguard swimsuits (60% off sale at Old Navy), as they've grown out of last year's size. Being an outdoorsy beach family, this is a necessity, so I'll continue my own mother's tradition of: The Easter Bunny delivers your new swimsuit for the year.
After surviving for three weeks off of our last grocery run, we finally needed to restock on necessities. While at Aldi, I picked up one bag of jelly beans, one bag of chocolate eggs, and a few tiny chocolate bunnies. Done!
In total, with the swimsuits and candies, this Easter will cost $35 for two kids.
The other "big goodie" they will discover in their basket are some handmade bunny masks I made this week. They are so cute!
I can't take full credit for the design or idea. I came across this beautiful printable from Mermag and hand-drew and painted my own version (we decluttered our entire "office" and no longer own a printer). I found some strange plastic-y twine and super glued that on to make whiskers (the original designer seems to have used paper ribbon for gift packages). I found some left-over pink satin ribbon from previous crafts and super glued those on to the back for ties. The mask was drawn on watercolor/acrylic paper, so it's thick and sturdy. If you are in a time-crunch, check out the printable version from Merrilee Lidiard of Mermag.
Below I'll outline a few more things I plan to do, as well as some extra inspiration.
Cut-out dolls or puppets
Draw fish, rabbits, fairies, mermaids or whatever your inner child can dream up. Cut it out and glue to some skewer sticks to turn the drawings into toys! Use watercolor paper or index cards to give them some strength. If you are not artistically inclined or running out of time, I again refer you to Mermag for some beautiful printables! (This is not an affiliate link or sponsored post...I just am genuinely gaga for her style).
Here's another from Mermag:
She uses pins to turn this into a movable puppet and the folded ears give it an adorable three-dimensional look.
If you don't want to include things like this in the Easter basket, these would make really fun activities to do with your child on Easter Day--especially if they are a little older. Just set out the supplies and fill up your day being present and creative together!
Bake a Special Cake
We happen to have vanilla cake mix and cream cheese icing in our pantry, so I'm planning to make this Easter in quarantine feel a little more special by making a celebratory cake! Here's a wonderful recipe I found, though I'll be "cheating" since I won't be
baking mine from scratch. Simply add a dot of blue dye to the cream cheese icing to get it a pale blue. Then you mix cacao powder and vanilla together and "flick" it onto the outside of the blue cake to get the robin's egg speckles. The recipe uses a "nest" of coconut shavings, which we do not have (and I am NOT going to the store for random little items while this virus is out there!). Instead, I think I'll use some almond slices I have and arrange them to look "nest-like." I'll steal some blue candy eggs from the bag to arrange in the middle. ...and wha-laa! We'll have our magical happy cake and the kids will think it's wonderful. I doubt it will be "Pinterest-worthy" like this one is, but I'm not trying to impress the internet...I'm just trying to create magic to break up the monotony of over a month and counting of self-quarantine. Give yourself that permission, too!
Dye Hard-Boiled Easter Eggs Together
The day before Easter, I plan to set the girls up outside with some vinegar-water cups, food coloring, and hard boiled eggs. It's the simplest tradition that brings so much awe and joy! Toddler hack: Put the eggs in a whisk instead of using spoons or wire to get the eggs in and out of the cups. The next day (Easter), I will include them in the backyard Easter Egg Hunt and then I'll peel them to make some deviled eggs (one of my husband's favorites!).
Backyard Easter Egg Hunt
As I said before, I think this is the thing my three-year old is the most excited about. In the past, we would get together with all of her best friends and organize a giant "playdate" Easter Egg Hunt either in a family's backyard or at a public park. Sadly, socialization is a big no-no and we can only see our friends via Zoom playdates these days. Thankfully, these girls at least have each other as built-in best friends.
I plan to take the few left over plastic eggs from last year that the Easter Bunny will have in their basket and repurpose them quickly for an Easter Egg Hunt in our own backyard. I'll add the hard boiled eggs to that, too, as we don't have very many (and again...I do not recommend leaving your house for random things right now). Since they are tiny kids, I imagine they'll want to do this over and over and over again...so we might have ten Easter Egg Hunts before it's all said and done! It doesn't matter...all that matters is that they are entertained and excited and happy. The egg hunt will feel special to them and that is all that matters!
Dress up and take photos!
It doesn't matter if it's "just us"...they are only little once and I love a good excuse to dress them up in pretty tiny dresses. The day will feel extra special!
And not just them...but me, too! I haven't worn makeup in a month and I think I'll actually do something with my hair and face for once...haha! As you may have noticed, I have paid for professional photos in the past. Alas, this will not be a season where we can justify the social-aspect nor the financial aspect, so I will whip out my own camera and do the best I
can! Our entire social life exists on social media now, as we all hunker down in our homes, so I'll spread some joy with photos of these cuties in their "Sunday Best."
Flowers and a "Special" Lunch
Again, I'm not going to the store unless it's to restock on essentials. We will simply go through our pantry and refrigerator and whip up something nice and dub it our
"Easter Lunch." I may take a stroll around our neighborhood to see if there are any azaleas blooming by the roadside to snip for our table. There's no need for a fancy bouquet this or a honey-glazed ham. We will make it special by the way we treat it. Try making a special lemonade. Or adorable little appetizers. Try using linen napkins instead of paper ones (a good practice for any day, really). Try making name-cards just for giggles. Bring out the special china, if you have it (personally, I've decluttered everything except what we use...so we already use the special china--haha!). Try using a table cloth instead of your usual table. Or move the table outside in the shade, instead of in the dining area. Get creative and you can make your probably-regular lunch seem like a special celebration with just a few twists and happy energy.
DIY Easter Goodies in the Basket
Okay back to the Easter basket... I'm kind of obsessed with these adorable pom-pom ducklings and rabbits! Check out my Easter Pinterest Board for a variety of tutorials on this theme. If you have a good stock of pom poms, googly eyes, pipe cleaners, construction paper, etc. there are tons of incredible things you could make!
This adorable felt bunny in a pocket is only $15 on Maisonette's site...but if you're crafty and have felt on hand, you could make something similar in a jiffy!
We are currently in a recession and many of us have lost our jobs. Please don't feel pressure to go out and buy "junk" from the seasonal aisle. Get your milk and bread and stay home and save money!
A great idea from Kacie Kliebert: "We didn't have any plastic eggs (and I'm not going to the store), so we made felt eggs (with pockets for treats) for our egg hunt. Kids did most of the crafting--it was fun and easy and now I can't wait to stuff them with treats and money and hide them!"
Yet another simple and sweet idea from Mermag! Use a toilet paper roll (don't we all mourn the last of our toilet paper during quarantine??) and some paper and a cotton ball to make your own little bunny doll/egg holder! Add a little ribbon around the neck to make it more whimsical. Easy peasy and fun! Click here to watch an adorable video tutorial.
Or, opt out of the Easter Bunny Basket altogether!
I love how Denaye Barahona, Ph.D., the voice behind the "Simple Families" podcast and author of "Simple Happy Parenting," gives us permission to opt out of society's traditions and form our own. In a recent Facebook post, she said:
"We do not observe the Easter Bunny tradition at our house. A few years ago my son saw a particularly creepy giant bunny at the mall and it was all over after that. I don't dare tell him that the giant creepy bunny sneaks into our house at night while he’s sleeping…because he may never sleep again. And well…I like to sleep.
So instead we started this simple tradition. We pull the wreath off our front door and lay it on our patio. In the week leading up to Easter, the kids fill it up with leaves and sticks to make it into a birds nest. Then on Easter morning, they awaken to see that the Spring birds have laid some special eggs filled with treats in the nest. Just about 3 to 4 plastic eggs each with some little snacks inside. No gifts.
If you want to continue traditions that have been passed down from generation-to-generation, that’s wonderful. If you want to start your own, that is wonderful too. What are you doing this year for the Spring holidays?"
Repurpose Easter Toys and Books
This is something I've done every year--even when I'm not stuck at home in a pandemic. I have started a tradition where "the Easter Bunny collects all of the bunny stuff" and displays it on the table. Hey...we are the parents and we get to make the rules! So while the kids are sleeping, I will literally grab all of the stuffed toy bunnies, lambs, chicks, etc. that remotely look "Easter-y" and put them on the table with their baskets. I'll also grab all of the books that involve bunnies ("Peter Rabbit" is an obvious one, of course!). This saves money and keeps clutter from overtaking our house. Our kids have PLENTY. Even with decluttering toys, they still truly have "too much." There is absolutely no reason I should purchase more bunnies.
But the display they see when they enter the room on Easter morning is magnificent! It is a glorious spring festival of tiny bunnies and chicks with little chocolate eggs sprinkled at their feet. Jelly beans are inside some eggs and they'll find their little handmade bunny masks. I'll have the robin's egg blue cake in a crystal cake stand mixed in with the baskets, just for that visual 'WOW' factor. I'll have freshly picked flowers bundled with the display and my one Easter "ornament" that I refuse to declutter (a wreath with pastel eggs glued on it) will be centered as a backdrop. There will be hardly anything new (just the swimsuits and handmade masks) and only a little bit of sugar. But the magic of the moment of seeing the display is what is so fun. And then the magic of finding eggs in the crevice of a tree. It's simple, really. I'm amazed I've written an entire blog about it. But I just want to let you know that:
It is okay.
It is preferable, even,
to have a very simple, slow, intentional, minimal, cozy-at-home Easter this year.
Stay safe, my friends!
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Do you have some ideas you would like to share?
Oh! And one last resource from me: Check out the beautiful DIYs and ideas on the Minford blog. Absolutely dreamy!
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