Chocolate, bunnies, crocuses, eggs, children in sandals, lots of running, and the green blooms of spring. Ah, spring. Not warm enough yet still, but the cold is finally dwindling. This Easter I really wanted to focus on understanding the ‘why’ behind us celebrating it. It led me down a beautiful and helpful rabbit hole (pun TOTALLY intended) that lit a fire under my bum to seriously keep down our waste, steward our land even more and focus on family quality time. We don’t subscribe to the consumer-minded aspects of Easter. It’s really about family, and gardening, during this new emerging season. It took some creativity and really thinking on what would be appropriate, affordable, and sustainable for our boys to have in an Easter basket this year. Here’s what I’ll be putting in our toddler & baby’s Easter basket to make it eco-friendly and zero waste.
Holiday waste thoughts
There simply isn’t a need to buy brand new. There really isn’t. Secondhand stores are always OVERLOADED with Easter decor, toys, books, and really everything you could possibly think of for this holiday. Even the plastic eggs if that’s your jam.
“The average American produces 5 pounds of trash per day, or 35 pounds each week. During the holidays, that rises to 6.25 pounds per person per day, or 43.75 pounds each week. With a population of 330 million people, that means 2,887,500,000 more pounds of garbage are generated per week during the holidays relative to the rest of the year.” – Source
We can easily curate a beautiful, fun, and wasteless Easter surprise with things from home or bought secondhand. Simultaneously, making this into a more economical and eco-friendlier holiday.
The few things they will be getting array from items my mother sent them, toys we found secondhand last year and pieces they both need.
How to make an eco-friendly Easter basket
Borrow a container that you already have. Chances are if you are reading this, there is a lovely little basket somewhere around your home. If you do decide to buy a new basket, try to find one that can be used elsewhere in the house and isn’t a disposable, one day item.
This year we will find chalk in a box in bulk. A good outdoor gift is always a winner with my kids. I will find some this year that does not also come with a ton of plastic.
I am making my boys homemade clothes this year. Something handmade is always sweet and memorable. Especially if it is something they can use more than one day.
I know we all want to give candy for this holiday. Why we sugar up our kids so much, I’ll never know. So, if you have that urge, which of course I do too, challenge yourself to find bulk candies without tin foil or plastic wrapping.
My mother sent us a large bag of M&Ms and chocolate bunnies. I will wrap the candies up in cute little squares of fabric and have the chocolate bunnies in their boxes re-emerging on Sunday. I won’t need to buy any sweets this year.
We love books. However, we have a lot and I never say no to more. It’s one thing I’m working on. We all have something, right? Thus, each son will get a new book.
A new gift this year is a tiny plant for my older boy. A propagation from a gifted plant my dear friend gave me. I have a tiny copper vase that I’ll create a pot from. He can water that and have that in his room as his own.
Other Easter goodies
Toys of course. Kids will make anything into a toy, so maybe shells or crystal rocks? A new toothbrush or even homemade gummies? Playdough or non toxic paints were on my radar this year. However, this holiday snuck up on me and I wasn’t able to make it in time. Perhaps for his birthday at the end of the month! Also, food-dying our own Easter eggs and having a backyard hunt will be happening. That is another fun thing to put in the basket, a colorful egg for breakfast!
Overall, you can put ANYTHING you want into an eco-friendly Easter basket. It’s about intentionality. Choosing quality over quantity and remembering that everyone celebrates differently.
Let’s keep that gratitude in mind this spring season and let it fill our hearts and our homes.
Hopefully, these were some good ideas and got you thinking about making your own eco-friendly Easter basket this year!
In spring gratitude,
Tayler
