Easter Baskets

When my brother and I were young, our Easter baskets were never purchased. We made them ourselves from cardboard oatmeal containers cut in two, decorating them with crepe paper, cutouts and ribbons. (I suppose that when I was very small my mother did this. One year at Easter at my grandmother's farm – I think I was 3 - someone gave me a long, long ribbon which I pulled until I came to a stuffed rabbit.) As we lived in New York State there was certainly no hiding of eggs outside (In the snow?).

On Easter we see our son's children, Kristyna and David. The other grandchildren are celebrating in the USA. The photo is of Kristyna's and David's Easter baskets. Kristyna's is the one she carried when she was the flower girl in her aunt's wedding. David's is one from an oasis in Saudi Arabia where we lived for many years. His basket is made of palm fonds.

We color eggs. filling the baskets with these and jelly beans, some chocolate, maybe a little fluffy chick. My mother often put in a marshmallow chick or a bunny, but I have not seen these here.

Once we did have a stateside grandson here. Ben was only 1 ½. On Easter Monday our son took him out with his son and Ben's mother. In an apartment building the woman who answered the door handed Ben an egg, which he promptly dropped over the rail! The woman handed him another, in spite of his mother's protests. This, fortunately, he did not drop over!

Sometimes I look at the Easter baskets in stores, all decked in ribbons and cellophane, but, you know, they actually do not have all the things I put in the baskets. I never buy them.If I did, I would find myself immediately wanting to augment it.