For Adults: Friends, Family, Co-workers and Loved Ones
Creating a modern Easter basket is about so much more than eggs, bunnies and chocolate. It’s about incorporating the pastel colors of Easter past with modern “green” future-forward thinking. Here’s what I mean:

Start with a reusable item such as picnic basket or a canvas bag from LL Bean, available in a variety of sizes and colors. I like to have them monogrammed with the name or initials of the recipient to make the statement even more special.

If you are planning on putting chocolate or candy in the basket, forgo the mass produced bunnies and eggs that abound and go for smaller portions of specialty chocolates. When it comes to grownups, it’s not necessarily about the candy. You’ve probably outgrown that anyway. Be aware of portion control for any candy you are considering.

Monogrammed M & M’s are all the rage. Mine are Mar green, have MAR on them and I just love them. In fact, maybe it’s my imagination, but I think they taste better than the regular ones. I keep a small dish of them on my coffee table and what a conversation piece. Get yours at www.mymms.com

Non-Candy Ideas For Adult Baskets
Grocery store gift cards
Blank note cards
Specialty Coffees & Teas
Coffee mugs
Subscriptions to a paper or magazine
Cooking utensils/interesting spices
Specialty jams/jellies
Mints
Gum
Starbucks gift card
Scented candles (must be naturally scented)
Specialty soaps
Journal
Miniature Swiss Army knife
A book (how about Life on Mar’s, A Four Season Garden!)

Ultimately, you will want to include things that will change their life not change their body, unless it’s a gym membership.

For Kid’s Easter Baskets
Instead of using regular baskets, consider things that kids can play with later. For younger children, I have used plastic pail and shovel sets and even small wagons. For the older child, I have often just tied the contents up in a great bandana and placed it on the end of their bed or on the pillow. It’s a fun and creative alterative to yet another basket.

The contents of children’s baskets may vary from year to year, but they should always include one or more of the following: a stuffed animal, a webkinz, a chocolate bunny to suit their size and shape, some plastic eggs filled with jelly beans and some individually wrapped candy that you know they like. I also include some healthy snacks like granola, nuts and sunflower seeds.

For your fashion forward tween or teen-ager, consider using a great looking handbag or satchel instead of a basket. They can use it for sleep-overs, for going to the beach or just for everyday fun. Be sure to include some cash, the ultimate recyclable.

Non-Candy Ideas For Kid’s Baskets
A fun toothbrush
Gift cards to local bookstores
Fun jewelry
Spelling and or math flash cards
Stickers
Small photo albums and or picture frames
Piggy bank
Sunglasses
Book of magic tricks
Travel games
A watercolor set
Legos

Last year, I made gardening bags containing small terra cotta pots, trowels, packages of flower seeds, small watering cans and potting soil to ignite the gardening spark. This year I’m going with a beach theme. I really love themed gifts, mostly because they are so much fun to put together. They can be done relatively inexpensively but look like they cost a lot and the kids really seem to get a kick out of them!

The finished product whether for a child or adult will always include a fabulous, oversized bow. Make it yourself, and you get extra credit.

One final note: I recently had the pleasure of having a friend show me the Easter basket that was her Grandmother’s basket, which her mother was given as a child and then she was given this same basket growing up. Today, she uses this basket for her nieces and nephews as she has no children of her own. What a wonderful legacy and tradition to carry on. If this appeals to you, make sure you find a quality well-made basket that can stand the test of time.

And there you have it.