MY HUNT FOR THE BEST EASTER BASKET
March 10, 2023 | BestLifeGlenn
I’m searching for the best Easter basket for my 7-year-old granddaughter, Luna. And it’s turned into a crazy adventure with my wife. You want to know more about a person? Go hunting for Easter baskets. Val and I shared stories about one another’s childhood, we talked about our family traditions and more and we laughed a lot during this hunt. I even learned that a Nor’easter has nothing to do with Easter. Y’all can look that up, if you don’t already know about this weather pattern.
Val is the eldest among six siblings. I’m the youngest of four kids. Val’s grandmother and aunts bought the kids candy and Easter baskets. I’m from Arcadia, Florida. No baskets. Growing up in the country, we got jelly beans and we dyed boiled eggs. Val, the city girl, said they boiled and dyed eggs, too, and they had all kinds of candy—chocolates, hard candy and yellow “Peeps” marshmallow ducks that she keeps raving about. On Easter Sunday, all of my cousins would come over and we would hunt for eggs that my grandma had hidden in the yard. There would be a countdown and we would burst through the front door, racing to find the eggs. No egg hunt in the projects for Val. I ate boiled eggs a full week after Easter was over. So did Val. My mom would order my Easter suit from the equivalent of a general store in our small town. Val’s paternal grandmother would buy twin church dresses for her and her younger sister and suits for her brothers from department stores. My family had a big Sunday dinner with relatives. So did Val’s family.
I know Luna is going to be excited about her Easter basket.
Throwback: That’s me towering over younger cousins on Easter Sunday.
Our stories and adventure for the Easter basket shopping mission began in Target, where we made our way to the baskets and candy section in the rear of the store. The LOL doll basket and the “Encanto” basket, named for the Disney movie, stood out for me. They were filled with things Luna would enjoy: sidewalk chalk, stickers, frisbees, jelly beans, puzzles, games, and so forth. They were priced around $20. Luna loves LOL dolls and “Encanto.” When we went to see “Encanto” on Thanksgiving Day in 2021, Luna, who was approaching 5 at the time, got up and danced during the movie. Since then, we have watched that movie at least 50 times at home. Our famous line from the movie: “We don’t talk about Bruno.” What’s yours?
The second store we visited was WalMart. As expected, Walmart had so many shelves of Easter stuff—baskets, candy, stuffed animals, you name it. The pre-package baskets were around $13 and up.
Dollar Tree had plenty of do-it-yourself options with dollar prices. Val discovered that those Peeps marshmallow ducks not only come in yellow, but now they also come in a rainbow of colors and flavors. She oohed and awwed over an array of Easter toys, home decor and yard signs that only costs a few bucks.
After going to three stores and searching online, I am still undecided. I’m considering buying two baskets— maybe I could get an extra one so that Luna could gift one or maybe I’ll create my own basket to share with Val. I’m thinking I could dump in jelly beans, some of those marshmallow “Peeps” and Val’s all-time favorite Old School candy—Nestle’s raisin Chunky, Maybe a bunny outfit?
Sorry, I took a left turn. Let me get back to Luna: I hope Luna enjoys the basket(s) that I select. It’s not so much about the basket, though, as it is the pure joy of celebrating and creating memories for all of us to cherish. That’s what we want for her.
Feel free to share where you bought your Easter basket(s) and your childhood memories. And don’t forget to subscribe below to bestlifeglenn.
