Easter Basket Traditions For Couples

I always loved the Easter Basket tradition. (If you know me, you know that I love anything with baskets!) I’m not talking about the over commercialized Easter baskets that you see in the store these days filled with plastic junk and thoughtless treats and breakable toys, but rather a well thought out assortment of tiny gifts or treats in a reusable basket that are meaningful little tokens of appreciation. As a kid, I didn’t have many very happy memories at home, but Easter morning was always a special occasion and it was a simple one. My mom would fill our Easter baskets, the same ones year after year that we always looked forward to seeing again, with a chocolate bunny, some candy eggs, and peeps. She would hide the baskets around the house. My brother and I would search to see where the silly Easter bunny left them this time.

Easter with my father was a little different. My parents were divorced so they shared custody of the holidays. When it was Easter time at my dad’s condo the baskets wouldn’t be hidden, but waiting for us when we woke up. My father’s version was a lot more eco-friendly (never with plastic fake grass or plastic eggs) and creative. One year my basket was a pink bird’s nest with feathers and candy eggs in the nest. Another time we had edible candy grass with gummy worms. I look back on these mornings with fondness. I’m not planning on having kids anytime soon, but I also believe that you don’t have to have children to enjoy a lovely Easter Basket on Easter morning.

I have always gotten Matthew an Easter present or treat of some kind, but now I insist on baskets. I kept the two little baskets that were used for the the flowers that the flower girls handed out at our wedding and now I like to reuse them as our Easter baskets annually. I don’t load them up with plastic junk or excessive candies and snacks, but rather thoughtful little tokens of love and appreciation. I like my husband to know I was thinking of him for the holiday and likewise, I like waking up in the morning knowing that he thought of me too. Gifts are not my love language, but quality time certainly is and these Easter baskets are a way to spend meaningful time together on Easter morning.

I’m pretty adaptable with traditions as they seem to change so often for me each year, however, there are a few that I hang onto tightly; Christmas stockings, apple picking and pumpkin carving in the fall, watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade each year on television, watching Christmas in Connecticut and It’s A Wonderful Life year after year, and Easter baskets. I know that these traditions are just a small part of a deeper meaning. The holidays, and life in general are more than just traditions and gifts. And these holidays for me are in no way about the gifts. It’s just nice knowing that we’re doing something nice for each other and thinking about bringing some joy to one another on Easter morning. I also know that these traditions don’t stand out much for my husband. He doesn’t seem to get over excited about major holidays, or even his birthday, but I feel that there is something important to celebrate and look forward to each and every year.

Here are a few thoughtful ideas to exchange Easter Basket with your significant other:

One. Make it a tradition to have a designated basket that you reuse year after year. This is better for the environment and adds to the tradition. My husband and I reuse the two little baskets that were used by the flower girls from our wedding day.

Two. Aim for sustainable and eco-friendly options. For example, natural moss or straw instead of plastic grass and wooden hollow Easter eggs instead of plastic ones to hold small treats. You can also use a spring tea towel to hold the mini gifts or skip the filler altogether.

Three. Keep gifting simple; think something to eat, something to read, and something to bring joy. Three little tokens of love.

Some Easter Basket gift ideas for all three tokens of love:

Something to eat:

Keep treats classic; a chocolate bunny in a reasonable size, peeps, or chocolate eggs. Or you can add your partner’s favorite treat, maybe something less classic like a sleeve of Oreo cookies, a favorite candy, or even a piece of fruit.

Something to read:

Books are a great gift, but you don’t have to always go with a book. If you do choose a book, maybe consider a sweet little Easter read such as one of Beatrix Potter’s little books. These little books cost about $8 each and they’re absolutely adorable. They’re written for children, but they’re a classic and so delightful. You can also print out a beautiful poem to share with your loved one (or even write one), write a love letter, add a special note to a beautifully written card, share a short story, or add a copy of your partner’s favorite magazine.

Something to bring joy:

What does your partner enjoy doing? This gift should be simple and thoughtful. It does not need to be expensive or extravagant to be meaningful. Does your partner like to create art? You can gift them a set of watercolors or colored pencils. Do they enjoy certain hobbies? Try gifts like a deck of bird identifying cards for birdwatching, a cross stitch kit, a game, a puzzle, a tool your partner needs for a project, a baseball glove, a pack of golf balls, seeds for gardening, or bath bombs. You can purchase a gift card to their favorite cafe or local shop. Small enjoyable gifts such as candles, soaps, hair accessories, scarves, and earrings are also nice.

If you don’t share this tradition with your spouse or partner and would like to, go ahead and mention it. Tell your partner that you would like to make Easter baskets for each other every year and see if they are into it. My husband wasn’t big on the idea because he thought it was a waste, but when I explained that I didn’t care about expensive or extravagant gifts and that all I wanted was to swap thoughtful little gifts for each other as a part of our holiday tradition, he started to understand. For me, it isn’t about the gift itself, but the tradition for the holiday that I grew up with and the thoughtfulness and consideration that it shows for your partner. I loved coming up with basket ideas for him more than I like opening my own basket Easter morning because I want to give him a little something that shows I pay attention to him and who he is. If acts of service or gifts are a part of your love language, you can choose to surprise your partner with a basket this year, even if you don’t expect one in return. It might just become a new tradition.