How Do You Do Easter?

With my kids when they were younger, I would put together and Easter basket with a chocolate bunny, a new book and maybe a movie that was from mom and dad. The Easter bunny would hide plastic eggs with candy in them - specific number per child. Pre-count them so you know how many so you're not finding them in the next few months. Weather permitting, we'd do that outside.
We do color eggs a week before Easter.
Even with teens, we still color eggs and have the egg hunt.

As far as baskets, we do two different things. I like to do swim suits - they get a new suit, flip flops & sunglasses, maybe a towel. However, some years come (like this one) and not all of them need all of that. So this year they are each getting a puzzle book, a reading book, sunglasses, a doll outfit & candy. I love the swim suit idea because they need that anyway but I'll get everything matching and make it cute.

As far as the Easter bunny, we don't do that at all. We dye some eggs, because it's fun. We have a family gathering where a bunch of candy/toy filled plastic eggs are hidden and the kids find them. But they know it's not a rabbit. However, that is completely a personal choice!

Growing up, we dyed Easter eggs together the day before and let them dry. On Easter morning, the Easter Bunny would have left us goodies in our Easter Basket. The same basket was used year to year and was put up in the attic (just like the fake Christmas tree) when it wasn't Easter time.

We usually went to my grandparents' house (along with all the other cousins) and the parents all brought some eggs from home and hid them in one big egg hunt. There was no prize for the most eggs or anything... just bragging rights I think.
We'd re hide the eggs at home (siblings and I) over the next few days, as we were usually out for Spring Break and bored at home.
We didn't get plastic eggs filled with stuff. We boiled eggs (usually about 2 dozen) and decorated them, and put them in a big bowl as the centerpiece on the table. The stuff in our baskets left by the Easter bunny was minimal... some loose jelly beans, maybe a chocolate rabbit, some robin eggs (colored malted milk balls) and Hershey's eggs. And sometimes a stuffed animal of some sort.
There were no piles of plastic junk. And it wasn't a new basket either.

Times are different these days. Sometimes I long for the "old days". (sigh)

For years, my kids got a new basket every year, and a handful of plastic eggs with loose candies stuffed in them. Along with little Easter-y note pads, pencils, cheap plastic toys/yo-yo's etc. And a small stuffed bunny of some sort. Or plush chick or duck.

Now that they are older... I reuse a basket from a previous year (I have stacks of them) and pretty much do the same thing, minus the cheap plastic junk. Plastic eggs filled with jelly beans, cadbury choc eggs, hershey's eggs, maybe a Lindt carrot or two.... and a stuffed animal.
Last year, I thought the kids were finally old enough I could get away with not doing it anymore... they were SO disappointed... so much so, that after church and our potluck after (and an egg hunt there, too)..I snuck away from the potluck, ran into walmart and grabbed some itunes cards and jelly beans and hid them in the car... then went back for husband and the kids. When we got home, I snuck the bag in the house,, hastily threw it in some old baskets I had in my closet, and opened the lock on the window in the guest room. Husband went outside, I handed the baskets out our bedroom window to him, he went to the guest room window and stuck them in and set them on the floor. Then he came back around and inside.
I sent one of the kids into the guest room for something trivial, and they "discovered" that they hadn't been forgotten after all..

LOL

Yeah... I have no doubt they knew. But it was sad when I realized how disappointed they were earlier in the day to completely stop the tradition. I have stuff in advance this year! ;)

Well "our" EB hides the basket for a search in the morning, and hides little plastic eggs with wee treats in each (dimes, jelly beans, an M&M, etc). Hunt can be indoors, outdoors or both.

He also leaves a trail of jelly beans to the door.
You can leave a carrot out for EB's snack, maybe.

Mom helps dye eggs and makes Easter dinner!

(Oh--remind EB to count those little plastic eggs in the beginning!)

we always dyed eggs together the day before, then the easter bunny hid baskets and on sunday morning the boys got to turn the house inside out finding them. then we all went over to grandma and grandpa's for a big dinner, and wow! the easter bunny had hidden plastic eggs all over their yard!
the easter bunny continued to do this until my boys were bigger than their grandpa, and BEGGED 'em to quit.
this will be the first year without grandma, and the dinner will be here. no baskets or egg hunt.
:::::::::::::sniffle:::::::::::::::::
khairete
S.

You live in Texas so there are plenty of churches around you...they will have plenty of events going on for your little one, including an Easter Egg hunt. You might even get something out of the Easter Services. (Many people who do not attend church on a regular basis attend on Easter and Christmas).

I'm sorry your Mother is no longer with you and it seems like there is not a Father for you or your child in the picture either.....Rather then concentrating on doing something "cute" for your child, do something that may give you and he some grounding for life.

Blessings.....

My boys both get a basket from the Easter Bunny and the Easter Bunny hides eggs. I give them each a small gift as well. When they get up they see the Easter baskets, then we rush off to church for breakfast and the service. When we get home from church they check out the baskets in detail, maybe eat a treat from the basket, then they begin the egg hunt. The baskets usually have a couple of treats (Kinder Eggs), shampoo, toothpaste, toothbrush, chapstick, Lego's and other small toys. I might give them a DVD or a book. The eggs we hide are the plastic ones with chocolate eggs inside.

Sometimes my kids would write a card to the E Bunny and he would leave a card or picture for them.

The Easter Bunny would leave each child a basket (With books, a few other educational things and 1 big choc bunny) while the kids were sleeping.

The E Bunny would also put pieces of chocolate ALL over the house. The kids would get a cup and collect them all. When we got a dog (Choc is not ok for dogs) then, the bunny would hide the chocolates up very high.

When my kids turned 5 and 6, we decorated cupcakes w/ green colored coconut w/ jelly beans (eggs) inside. One yr, we made bunny cupcakes. Just google "bunny cupcakes" for photos.

Easter egg hunt in the back yard
Easter basket hidden by the bunny in our house
Family Mass
Easter Brunch after Mass

Our baskets are simple--just eggs and candy. No toys.

With my nieces and nephews, we've always colored the eggs as a group. While they're busy coloring easter pictures or painting or baking cookies, the Easter Bunny will hide the eggs. After the Easter Bunny hides the eggs, they do the easter egg hunt and at the end of the hunt, they put all their eggs in their easter baskets from mommy and daddy. Aunty has one for them too (I'm a bit of a spoiler despite having 12 nieces and nephews!). We also do "swap meets" which is where they get to trade their candies back and forth if there is something they didn't particularly care for. =]

We color eggs during the days before Easter...

Then, we hide the eggs. Some are the boiled, colored ones and some are plastic ones. This year, I've bought four fruit leather snacks and will roll them up, put them into the eggs. I'll also do a few eggs carefully with some yummy chocolate chip trail mix. (My kid is just NO GOOD after candy!)

The Easter Bunny will also leave a small basket with some modeling clay, a new box of crayons and some Story Cubes. Kiddo is into art and we have wanted the Story Cubes for a long time, to take to pass the time at restaurants or 'having to wait' times. We keep our Easter fairly modest and fun. I sometimes make a little card for Kiddo with the Easter Bunny on it, 'from' the Easter Bunny. I'm sure Kiddo will eventually catch on that EB and I have the same drawing style.

You can also wonder aloud "I wonder what the Easter Bunny brought?" when it comes time to bring out the baskets.

We dye eggs with our children but do not leave baskets for them because my in-laws always give them tons of junk(think tiny easily breakable toys and year old candy)in the baskets they buy them. However, we do always make an Easter treat and give whomever credit where credit is due. Yes, I allow my children the simple pleasure of believing(or not)in the Easter bunny.

I agree with Toni - be sure to read her's. Fun reading all of them.

We colored eggs on Good Friday and they would their name on one in crayon. We'd make Hot Cross Buns from scratch and have a special little meal of polish sausage, cabbage, dumplings, apple sauce. It was a quiet day mostly.

Holy Saturday we mostly practice quiet as well but we also bake for the following day. This year it's a bunny cake and little bird's nest for jelly beans and mini muffins.

The EB always hid the baskets and the kids would hunt in the morning. I always reused baskets. They were filled with the goodies and little gifts or keepsakes. We'd have a special basket for the table with all kinds of things, candy, fruit, decorations, home made goodies. We'd have a special little breakfast and dinner. We'd have a story to gather for. Of course prayer. And would celebrate and enjoy the newness of spring time.

Now that I'm grandma it's a bit different. We still color the eggs and make hot cross buns and have our meal though and I tell a story about how the easter bunny came to be the one to deliver eggs.

On Sunday everyone gathers usually for an afternoon meal, but this year it's brunch. I set up an egg hut with plastic ones some w/candy, some w/ coins, some with small toys, both bought and some hand made. The children play games like the spoon/egg game etc. And we put on a little show - a little play, sing a song, recite a couple of verses. The children love it.

I'm sure you'll come up with some traditions that are special for you and him. Children love to return to the same things each year.

Have a wonderful time

We dye eggs on Saturday and go to Easter Vigil Mass in the evening. This leaves our Sunday morning free to do the Easter Bunny and egg hunts. We use the same baskets year after year and leave them out for the bunny to fill (as you do with Christmas stockings for Santa). He also hides some eggs around the living room with treats. We have egg salad for lunch! We are an Army family and live on the opposite coast as the rest of our family, but if we were back home, we would go over to a house to celebrate with family and all of the kids would have an egg hunt.

At our house, we dye eggs, hide them, play with them...

I give my girls a basket with fun stuff...

We go to church. The most important part of Easter, in my opinion, is focusing on why we celebrate it in the first place.

The only bunnies my children believe in are the furry ones that hop around our yard. ;)

That being said, you can do whatever it takes to make these memories special for you all, and I hope you have a very blessed Easter!

easter bunny does the baskets and hides the eggs. Our baskets were always hidden and I think I might hide my kids (5 and 7) this year. Last year is the first we dyed eggs. It went ok. me and my kids dont like hard boiled but hubby does so we dont do many. I did see something this week about using just a little food dye and vinegar to make your own water colors and painting your eggs. I think we might do that this year so the few eggs we do take a little longer.

We dye eggs with all our guests names on them. The Easter bunny hides about 12-15 plastic eggs with candy in them and an Easter basket for Sunday a.m. The basket has candy and small gifts and one $10 gift. We usually give our son one small gift for Easter. Everything is exciting at 4 yrs. My son is 6 and still believes.

We go to church at 10:30 and have family over for dinner.

When I was little the Easter Bunny always hid our baskets, to me it was always a great memory. So I continued that tradition. However, I've stepped it up by making it into a hunt with clues to find the basket. I started that last year when my oldest really started taking off in reading. I think I'll continue that.

My girls usually dye eggs with their grandparents, so I don't really have to carry on that tradition at home. And the egg hunt(s) are also done at their grandparents with all their cousins.

So mainly the only tradition I'm carrying on at home is their Easter baskets from the bunny. :) Oh I also usually take them to a local hunt in the area. This year its on Saturday and we are meeting up with some school friends.

My daughter is 18. We've always made Easter candy together. This year we didn't and it is the first year we did not follow the candy making tradition. i still have people asking for our Easter candy!

EB has always left a basket at the bottom of the steps for her to see when she gets up. I usually stuff the eggs with candy and put other goodies in the basket. This year, I surprised her and stuffed the eggs with $5 bills!!

We still dye eggs the night before Easter. Today will will prepare rack of lamb for our Easter meal with some veggies.

So far, the day is beautiful although it started out stormy.

Just be there for your son. Make your own traditions and don't worry about what others do. Happy Easter!

It depends on your beliefs... if you think that doing the EB is lying, then the gift and egg hunt would be all you. If you want to do the EB thing, then it all be done by the EB. We are keeping the dream alive for as long as possible. Kids are too grown up now and I have no problem with letting her believe.

Try not to focus on what everyone else is doing. We have a small family and never have had those big gatherings with lots of family and kids to spend holidays with. Yes, it does kinda suck, but we just try to create our own memories for our DD. We colored eggs and visited the EB for pictures yesterday and tomorrow she will get her basket and do an egg hunt. I will throw a breakfast casserole in in the morning and we will spend the day as a family. As far as I am concerned, that is enough. Your child will remember that you made an effort to make it special.