Easter Gift Baskets With A Twist

Easter is a time when we traditionally give gift baskets full of good things to the ones we love and care about. Of recent times we have got a little bit lazy and we tend to fill them with sweets and chocolate. But that doesn?t have to be the case. There are all sorts of alternatives.

As far as little ones are concerned they are just as happy if their Easter gift basket is full of toys or something to cuddle. Because it?s a time of year when there are babies of all varieties around the girls especially love to have something small and soft to carry around with them and there are loads around. The boys are maybe a little more difficult but you can pick up reasonably priced toys that encourage them to play outside and take some exercise. Where my family is concerned board games always go down well if the weather is bad and they need to be amused. I have a particular fondness for them as it involves the whole family.

An Easter Basket wouldn?t be quite the same if it didn?t contain some nice things to eat, but what about fruit and nuts or reduce the impact of chocolate by combining it with fruit such as raisins or cranberries. You can go the other way and add a few chocolate chips to a healthy muesli bar for a special treat. I make chocolate nests from cornflakes and bran flakes and fill them with fruit and my kids have always loved those.

We make lots of the goodies that go into our families Easter Gift Baskets, masks and cut outs, cards and games as well as the munchies. If you haven?t got time to make things you can always buy a basket that isn?t filled with just chocolate. Books are a lovely alternative gift ? especially Easter Stories for the little ones, or maybe a good novel for Mum. One of the best gift baskets I ever received was full of luxury Bath Time treats, beautiful lotions and potions with lovely smells, a candle to make the Bathroom feel nice and a soft fluffy towel to wrap myself in when I got out of the bath.

Men are always much more difficult to buy Easter Baskets for, but most men have a hobby or two, what about Golf Balls, Tees, and a Golf Magazine, or if Fishing is his thing, line, floats and all those twiddly things they seem to find indispensible. Gardens are always a good source of inspiration too. It is the time of year when the garden is starting to grow and there are lots o beautiful plants around, and you can always find space for those. If you have the space you could buy lots of quick growing vegetable seeds for the children and help them plant their own garden and see how good those home-grown vegetables taste. Not only have you given them something different but you are encouraging good eating habits too.

It wouldn?t perhaps be an Easter Gift Basket without a small chocolate Bunny or a handful of min eggs but there are so many other things you can add to make it a long lasting and much healthier gift.

flaminglacer is a well known 'Net Wanderer' who writes regularly on many sites. A self-proclaimed Grumpy Old Woman she shares her thoughts freely and is renowned for her forthright views and opinions on most topics. A member of the Marketing Mavens, you can find more at http://www.easyeaster.com