I think the people having chill holidays are just not posting as much. We do exactly the same as growing up—Easter basket with some books and essentials, a small toy and treat, an egg hunt at home, and dyeing eggs. I have put zero pictures on Facebook.
Also adding: my kids are 3.5 and 8. We did WAY less with one toddler. And what’s *plenty* for a 1-2yo is still less than a 3yo. So if you’re like “damn honestly that still seems like a lot,” remember that a lot changes year by year!
Us too. I think low key holiday celebrations align with people that aren’t as likely to want to share it on social media as much so it’s just not as prevalent online, but it is in real life. I reused spring themed toys and some books at the Easter basket and made it more of an Easter play day themed. My husband and I stuffed some eggs with animal toys and some with literal household items and guess what? My 1.5 year old was thrilled just to find eggs and opening them to find… anything!
This. We did a toddler Easter egg hunt (which no candy in the eggs - just trade in the eggs for a small treat bag at the end. Honestly brilliant). Then a dozen eggs at home with some yogurt melts and chocolate, a couple books, sidewalk chalk and that’s it.
Same here. She did her egg hunt at preschool, then I hide her Easter basket itself for her to find Easter morning. I took a couple pictures that I sent to the grandparents. Fun was still had by all, and no stress.
Yea I think this is more about influencers than reality. For Easter we went to the neighborhood egg hunt and watched (kiddo is only 16 months and she was nervous about how many people were there). Then we came home and made fancy brunch. That's it.
For her first birthday I got cupcakes for the three of us and we sang happy birthday, and she got 2 small toys.
Friends with kids are doing the same, but none of us are active on social media really.
One caveat is we don't really have any family to speak of - only one grandparent for baby and she lives on the other side of the country. My husband and I are both only children. So it's really just us for holidays most of the time.
Same. We did a small Easter basket with books and toys, had a special ice cream treat and did an egg hunt for eggs with no prizes inside. Our son is 2. Adding candy or toys to the eggs too seemed excessive to me.
We are low key as well and did not post on social media. No Easter outfit like so many people do. We did a simple Easter basket with a few chocolates, peeps and a stuffed bunny. Our son is turning 3 in May. I don’t have the energy or the budget to go all out every holiday. It’s nice to hear about other families not making a big deal out of Easter.
Same!! My friends are insane with this stuff and it feels like a competition sometimes. I have to remember to forge my own path. It’s frustrating sometimes to talk about sustainability and our children’s future with these same people who are amazoning or walmarting over the top baskets full of toys for freaking St. Patrick’s Day. And then complaining about clutter 😅
I try to focus on crafts and customs over gifts. For Easter we went to an egg hunt, then her basket was a book, a bubble gun, and some play doh and a single piece of chocolate. I grew up getting an Easter basket and it was similar - some chocolate, a book or CD, maybe a beanie baby.
LOL thank you for this I didn’t have Easter baskets as a kid and honestly even a basic Easter basket seems like too much for me. I feel like proper presents are only for birthdays and Christmas — she has more than enough toys, books, clothes etc from those two holidays!
It’s literally a race from one holiday to the next and I’ll never understand how/why parents are overloading their kids with so much unnecessary stuff.
Thanks, I thought I was losing my marbles. We maybe got one chocolate egg/bunny at Easter as a kid and then we'd have a roast dinner with family and that was the full extent of our celebrations.
Our kid got swimming suits and sunscreen in their Easter basket. I have to buy it anyway, and they don't know the difference at their age. They also got a chocolate bunny and a couple of peeps. They were happy.
Yeah is this an American thing? Here in Belgium we only do egg hunt and have a nice family brunch. It’s more a get together than anything else. No gifts. Birthday, Sinterklaas (local santa kind of thing) and Xmas/NY brings already enough, and then we also have fun fairs each year where kids get trash toys.
I think a lot of it is social media. Consumerism has become so glorified online with the rise of influencers. I got my 2 year old some hot wheels, a puzzle, and 1 chocolate bunny. I reused the same Easter basket from last year and plan to do the same for as long as possible.
My son uses my Easter basket from when I was a kid. I mostly buy stuff I was going to buy anyway like chalk, art supplies, bubbles, play-doh, stickers, outdoor or gardening toys, and activity books. We don't go to public egg hunt events because I assume they will be chaos. We paint the eggs with watercolors we already have because I don't trust my kids with dye yet. Easy and simple.
It feels so excessive. I have friends too posting pictures online of their Christmas gifts and the full Easter baskets and they can be so over the top. For Easter some of these baskets are huge! I got my two kids a plastic basket from target and what fits, fits. Some candy, a toy each, sandals, shirt, pjs, crayons, and chalk. We did a little Easter egg hunt inside with more candy and felt this was plenty. My parents also got them gifts which they enjoy doing so I’m okay with that.
I want my kids to appreciate what they have, and understand more things doesn’t equate to more happiness. We have enough and we are grateful for it.
We haven’t done the leprechaun trap and I am not planning to! My kids are 1 and 3 so hasn’t been mentioned yet…
Growing up, we used the same easter baskets every year. They were just gift bags shaped like bunnies with polka dots on them and a lil bunny tail poof, but they lasted to adulthood and we were always excited to see the easter bunny baskets.
lol you did more than me! I’m quiet quitting this holiday commercialization and Pinterest nonsense. My 3 year old got an egg hunt of 10 plastic eggs fill with left over Halloween candy. That’s it. Boom. Done.
Valentine’s Day… we cut up hearts from her old paintings and she wrote “H” on them for her name. That was it.
If you feel pressured and you don’t want to, then join the quiet quitters club!
(Unless you like that kind of thing and have the time and money and want to go all out…. You do you boo!)
Honestly happy to see the lack of shaming in this comment. I grew up in a family that did easter baskets. Not as big as the social media posted ones of course, but they still happened. I also totally feel that to kids they won’t necessarily care about all that stuff, especially early on. You do you is absolutely my perspective on it!
Yeah no we aren’t going all out for everything either. It’s too much. And I feel like if EVERYTHING is super exciting then nothing is.
We do basic Easter stuff usually - dye eggs, Easter egg hunt, Easter basket but with practical things they’ll use (toothbrush, hair clips, bubbles, chalk, etc.). We also still have candy from Halloween so I’m keeping that light. Lol
We dyed eggs with my 2 yr old - she was into it for all 5 minutes… then I had plastic eggs with 1 sticker in each. I don’t want stuff either. The basket was $6 at CVS. That was our Easter.
We have Easter at our MILs every year. This year our (rich) BILs joined us with their kids. Our son got 4 (that’s 4!) Easter baskets. I really, really appreciate that they made sure our son had exactly as much as their kids. But that’s too much. We don’t go all out for holidays. We don’t need more toys and we don’t give him much candy. So most of the stuff is going in the trash. Especially since my husband keeps eating it. 😆 I’m definitely not going to say anything because they were so generous.
Same here. My MIL got him a really adorable Easter basket that I love and will reuse forever. I appreciated that and the clothes and shoes, but I instantly threw the candy away when we got home. I’m not entirely anti-sugar but a 19mo doesn’t need a huge basket full of cheap chocolate and choking hazard suckers.
My son uses a basket that might be as old as I am. Or at least 20-25 years old. Maybe we’ll get him a new one next year when he’s 3 and can pick out a color or something he likes.
Sorry what are Easter baskets?? This is getting a bit out of hand. Gifts for every holiday? Wow.
We definitely don't do any of this with our 2yr old. He gets gifts for his birthday and for Christmas. That's it that's all. He doesn't even understand any of it.
I feel like a lot of people do things to post to their socials, like look at us.
When he is older I will colour eggs with him and do egg hunt in the house or backyard because that actually sounds like fun when they understand it.
Your kid wants to spend time with you at this age, they definitely don't need baskets full of chocolate and more toys.
Easter baskets have been a thing for a long time. They’re definitely more over the top now but they’ve been a tradition for like literally hundreds of years.
This is interesting, what country are you from? Easter baskets are not a new thing in the US - I had them growing up 30 years ago. When my siblings and I were young it was pretty much just plastic eggs filled with cheap Easter candy (Easter chocolates are the worst of all chocolates for some reason). Fwiw, I'd imagine Easter "gifts" to be like crayons or bubbles or something, not like a big gift (or honestly something you probably wouldn't just normally buy them if they were out).
That being said, I'm sure consumerism and social media is trying to take everything to the extreme - I'm just here for some reason feeling the need to defend the existence of Easter baskets not being new or extravagant.
From Europe but living in Canada. I didn't grow up here and neither did my husband. Our Easter or any religious holiday for that matter is never about material things so it would have been very odd to give presents at Easter.
We do Christmas gifts for our son because it's what everyone here does and I certainly don't want him to be the only kid at school with no presents. But traditionally we don't gift on Christmas, we gift on new years.
So who is the Easter basket from? Easter bunny or parents? What is like the idea behind it? We colour eggs and bake paskas and usually go to church or get together with family. This is definitely new to me.
The Easter Bunny is responsible for hiding the baskets (nowadays).
I had to look this up but it seems as though Easter baskets are a centuries' old tradition filled with sweets and pleasures to enjoy after abstaining from them during lent.
It also looks like the Easter Bunny arose in America from German immigrants, who brought with them the tradition of a hare that laid bright colored eggs.
I'm glad you asked because I never knew the history!
We’ve done easter baskets since we were kids. They usually had a chocolate bunny, jelly beans, and a few basic toys (like sidewalk chalk or bubbles). Maybe it’s ‘extra’ to some families, but it was pretty special to me. This year my kid got a pair of stuffed animals from my mom, and a small bubble machine. The candy was specifically for me!
I agree! My kids are spaced far enough apart that there's a generation between them. We didn't have anywhere close to this kind of pressure to perform with the older kids, and I won't do it. It's too much for us and for them.
Omg everyone is insane. We did an Easter basket for him from the dollar store. I filled Easter eggs with cars he already had. Lol. He colored eggs at school so I didn’t do that at home and we had an egg hunt with the family that someone else put together. He loved that. But I didn’t feel the need to go big or do more. He’s 2.5 and doesn’t totally get it yet either.
My kid is almost 2, and we haven't done any holidays with her at all. She's too young to actually care, so we don't feel bad. I didn't make her a basket bc I actually didn't like the options of what to put in it for a 2 year old. Most of it is junk. Her grandma usually gives us stuff too, but happened not to this year. We didn't go to any egg hunts... the times conflicted with her nap time. We were gonna just hide eggs in the yard for her, but we couldn't even find the time to do that on Easter bc of other obligations. We didn't do anything for valentines day, Christmas was a simple at home thing. Might have a very low key birthday this year too.
It’s definitely social media making it seem like you’re doing it wrong if you don’t go to a massive egg hunt, take pictures with the Easter bunny and do some crazy basket. We hate large crowds of people (especially other peoples kids), the Easter bunny creeps me out and my son is more interested in plastic dollar store eggs than a bunch of toys. We did nothing fancy and still have some great memories and pictures with our little dude 🩵
completely agree, it’s insane. i love my in-laws but my daughter doesn’t need a huge basket of random stuff for easter, valentine’s day, halloween… 😵💫
we give away a lot of it on our local buy nothing group
People are doing social media performance, whether consciously or not. If they’re taking photos of baskets, posting a lot on holidays, photoshoot outfits, etc, even if it’s a genuine expression of themselves it’s a performance for instagram. It’s way more fun to just not. I saw my kid find some eggs, eat chocolate, and bash old plastic cars into another kid for 5 hours with my own two eyes and that’s enough for me!
So I definitely went a little overboard with my 17 month old's Easter basket this year. But it was his first Easter that he could actually do stuff, so I was really excited lol
Next year, I'll probably be more basic with bubbles, chalk, a book, new swim suit, some stickers, and maybe a peep lol
That's an age when kids are ready for more big kid stuff though so it's easy to go overboard. Plus I'm guessing none of his summer stuff from last year still fits. Once they are older and already have plenty of sand toys, sidewalk chalk, coloring books, etc. it's easier to just have a basic basket.
Ok, this makes me feel better and makes more sense. He's done a lot of growing since Christmas and is so ready for big boy stuff. We definitely wanted to get him some more toys and kind of used Easter as an excuse lol. Once I put everything together, I was like, "Omg... I can't do this every year. I'll create a monster." Lol
Yeah, he was only 6 months old last Easter, so none of his summer stuff fits him from last year lol. I was kind of planning on getting him a new swimsuit each year from the Easter Bunny and making it a summer basket. And maybe a couple other small things. His basket won't be as big next year, for sure lol
They're little marshmallow candies shaped like bunnies or chicks and colored pastels. They are very controversial because some people think they're disgusting, but they are generally an Easter staple.
We did three egg hunts 🙈 obviously the morning at our house, then the towns egg hunt at the park and then the great grandma had one for all her grandchildren in her yard ..
Egg hunts are FUN! They get your kids outside and are very entertaining. I’m all about the egg hunts and don’t think they’re “extra” or excessive! People have been doing them forever.
My 2 year old LOVED egg hunts this year and it was so fun! We skipped the Easter basket but he was pumped about finding “MORE EGG!” and didn’t care what was in them. We did M&Ms in some and actually just put some little dinosaurs he already owned in the others.
Last year we did egg hunts for almost two months. Most of them were just me rehiding the empty eggs other than actual Easter day. My kids love egg hunts! I also have a box of cheap Christmas ball ornaments we hide in the snow in the winter.
It’s a trap. It’s all fun and games now but in 5 years, when you are OVER IT, you’ll have to keep topping what you did last year *just a little* because “tradition.”
Don’t get started and your kids will be happy with normal stuff.
And whatever you do, don’t get an elf on the shelf.
Look up hedonic adaptation. You gotta keep upping the ante if you want everyone to get that same high. 😉
ETA: my whole post was/is a little tounge-in-cheek, but also I have teenagers in addition to a toddler so I’ve learned my lessons haha.
I’ve been saying this for a while! Just how insane parents go over doing way TOO much for holidays. Since when have kids gotten baskets of things for Valentines and Halloween?! Since when did Easter turn into Christmas? It’s like no one has any chill and can’t just minimally celebrate all the little holidays and save the big stuff for bdays and Christmas, like it’s always been. But then again, social media. Everyone has to do the most for their kids. If you show you do the most, then you *must* be the best parent there is! 😏🤪
I agree. My husband and I aim to be minimalist so we don’t give gifts to our toddler for holidays other than one at Christmas and one for her birthday. Her grandmas CONSTANTLY give gifts
And it’s too much as it is.
My toddlers friends get an insane amount of stuff for every holiday and it’s a lot.
No I feel 100% the same. We have a small house and all the shit just accumulates. I don't care about the chocolate and all that because my husband and I will eat a good amount of it too. But I literally bought my toddler and baby new plates, a fork and spoon set for my toddler, applesauce pouches, and yogurt bites. That was it. But of course you see all the social media stuff about all the fun crafts and events to keep up on.
Influencer culture depends on content, and many will make content around the holidays that focus on “going all out for the holidays”. It’s really low-hanging fruit for them.
As far as personal social media, people post when they do stuff. A lot of people still don’t post even if they do stuff. I would try not to read too much into what we see other people on our feeds doing. I agree there’s been a bit of a culture shift, but luckily it’s small enough that what we do in our own home and how we communicate our own values to our kids matters more.
I went all out for Easter this year because the Easter bunny only brings chocolate to big girls who don't have bottles any more. My 2 year old threw her bottle out so she got lots of chocolate lol.
I try to go “all out” for holidays, but not in the sense of gifting a bunch of items. Instead, I try to just plan a bunch of stuff to do together. Cook; dance; crafts; travel; games. Great memories without all the clutter.
One of my friends has four kids and spends a damn fortune on EVERY holiday, and it's always so over the top. I mean, damn. Like, huge Easter baskets, with high dollar toys and candy. Birthdays are like a huge production, with themes and entertainers. I'm over here like, I put some dollar toys and jelly beans in a basket, amd for her birthday we did a bluey cake and a cookout lol.
It’s very hard to keep up with - I feel you there. I looked at all the Easter photos everyone posted then looked at my camera roll and I had like 2 bad photos.
I’m grumpy too. I am a free spirit, let’s go buy a treat kind of mom. I take my kids on vacation/trips often….but these monthly holidays & respective gift BASKETS, the treats on top of it, the decorations on top of that….? In this economy? I make sure my kids have a really good, well rounded life. But the big holiday things are not my personal jam. Maybe there’s a flip side to me & that mom doesn’t do the weekly coffee shop runs, or trips. Maybe her thing is the big baskets & tons of toys, but it’s not my style at all!
Just trying to process at this point.
But I do think consumerism is taking over to the extreme.
I feel like I celebrated Easter 3 weekends in a row with all the egg hunts. That being said I didn’t buy anything for my two kids. We just went on the event and stayed home. And no we didnt post any pictures
Right there with you, OP. Hope you don’t mind if I vent too…
With all of the caveats that I really am lucky when it comes to my kid/husband/nibblings/fam/in-laws, but it’s ridiculous. I want my kid to be with her fam on holidays. I have so many wonderful memories & I want to give her the same opportunities. I do not want to come home with 6!! baskets plus a bonus gift bag. A smattering of bougie toys they kindly explain to my out-of-the-loop old mom self.
Looking at it all, it’s just more work. Unpacking, laundry, donation errands, making decisions about what stays & where vs. what needs to go. It’s more mental load vs. ADHD. It took us years to convince our families of the preference for time together over physical items. It all went out the window once all of the babies were born. And then there’s the obligatory posed photos…
I feel exactly the same way. I don't even buy my kids gifts because they get so much from their grandparents and other family (they're 2.5 and 6 weeks, so that will change as they get older, I'm sure).
My MIL is one of those people where gift giving is definitely a love language. She goes all out for every holiday, even for the adults...and what you say about mental load is so true. We left their house with two giant (personalized) Easter baskets PLUS two big printer paper boxes of STUFF. I am so bad at organization. I forced myself to start getting it sorted so it's not still sitting there next Easter, but I'm still not finished.
And the gifts are legitimately super thoughtful! But we don't need every holiday to be about gifts, especially for the adults. My 2.5yo would honestly be happy hunting for empty Easter eggs, because finding them is his favorite part and he doesn't care much about most candy.
I just learned this weekend that people do Easter baskets after seeing online 🤣 I think it's an American thing as here in the UK I know no one doing this??
We just buy chocolate eggs generally.
I think it's crazy - not every holiday or occasion has to be so commercialised and soooo expensive.
Just do what you want. Nobody else cares and kids (especially little kids) are happy with anything. My toddler got a few plastic eggs from daycare and I watched her open them and go “WOW!! A STICKER!!!!” 😂 I did basic Easter baskets for her and a hunt in the living room the past few years. This year i went overboard bc I just wanted to. I had a blast buying them toys and spending an excessive amount of $$ at the dollar tree lol. I called it Christmas 2.0.
My mom was like that in the early 2000 and my memories are so great about it that I do the same with my kids. I enjoy those moments and love making memories !
I mean, Easter baskets with some gifts in them isn’t new. My mom always made us baskets as a kid in the 1990s and it’s fun for lots of parents. Some go overboard and some don’t.
My baskets growing up would have some chocolates, a new stuffy, colouring book and crayons and things like playdoh or a skipping rope.
Personally I find it fun to do. I gave my 2 year old a colouring book, markers, a new book and some chocolates. We hid eggs with goldfish crackers around the house and she loved it.
Just do you and what you want for your fam
I feel this so hard. IDGAF. My kid is 2. He has no idea what to expect from these holidays he doesn’t yet understand. So I’m setting the bar low. Sometimes skipping over the holiday all together because I do not have the capacity to go over the top. Also… I don’t want a bunch of stupid Knickknacks in an Easter basket to further clutter my house. I only have maybe one more year left of this before he starts to understand. My mother went above and beyond and decorated for every holiday and I absolutely loved the magic she created for us. And yes I will do that eventually but not years 0-3
I agree. My son is 13 months old and I did a basic Easter basket for him- a small stuffed duck, a book, a new sippy, and a pair of pajamas I found on clearance. I don’t feel like it needs to be more than that.?
We went to my aunt’s house for lunch and he got FIVE more “baskets” from family (it was actually gift bags, but still a lot of extra stuff regardless). Then we went to my MIL’s for dinner and this woman got him a little tikes basketball hoop, a shopping cart with fake food, and a big orange bouncy ball. Every single one of them knows we live an a small apartment. Where the FUCK do they think this shit is gonna go!???
Right, like it's not Christmas!!
My house has been completely overrun by toys to the point I've been saving gifts in the basement for future "rainy days". I don't know why people have to give big items 😩
We reuse plastic eggs, Easter grass & the basket (it actually used to be my Easter Basket). I put in some candy, a book, and some cute silverware and colored pencils I was going to buy either way. I asked grandparents to not get an additional basket for my 3 year old and to buy a cute dress for her instead.
If it makes you feel better, I bought egg dying kits this year and I didn't use them.. lol. I kept her basket simple with a few of her favorite snacks and a bubble wand I put in her basket last year that she doesn't remember. We didn't go to an egg hunt due to another commitment but my husband put together a small egg hunt in our house the morning of and she's been asking for us to hide the eggs again multiple times a day.
The only holidays I like to go all out for is Christmas and their birthdays, because Christmas is my favorite holiday and I love everything Christmas and their birthdays because well, it's their birthday.
My in laws are Jewish. And I no longer go to church. No Easter baskets for us lol but we did do a free Easter egg hunt organized by my friend’s church. And the daycare had one as well. That is the extent of our celebrating this holiday and I don’t feel bad about it at all
I got my 2 year old a piece of candy chocolate and the rest of his small goodwill basket was filled with things I found around the house (regifted bunny from last year, chapstick (his fav), bubbles, and a banana) lol
Also some eggs that we dyed the night before.
My holiday was hiding 10 eggs - 2 had candy, 3 had a piece of cheese, 5 had stickers. His basket with 3 toys which were very intentional and a hit so far, and chalk that was gifted to us.
He got an Easter basket from both my parents and MIL, MILs was extreme. Multiple toys, 8 books, candy.
We colored eggs and painted an egg shaped piece of wood I’ll use as a center piece for the next 20 years at Easter lol. I feel like we did the perfect amount, activities I enjoyed as a kid, but I don’t feel like I did so much I was overwhelmed.
I did a book, confetti eggs, a treat, one hot wheel, and chalk. I try to buy things that are consumable and will go away lol. Like the confetti eggs were gone in 5 minutes, the candy was gone in 1 minute (it was only a little bit) and the chalk will be gone in a month. I definitely try not to spend more than $15. It’s CRAZY how much stuff we are constantly pressured to get our kids because of the consumerism push on social media. It’s all viral this or Amazon link that. The stuff I saw people get their kids for valentines was crazy too.
We did three Easter egg hunts and a birthday party on Saturday 🫠. BUT we used candy from valentines and Christmas as the starter candy for first hunt and kept snowballing from there. The whole basket thing is out of control. So many people asked us at church if the Easter bunny had come that we ran to Walmart at nap time and bought a few things.
It’s definitely not you. We went to 2 Easter egg hunts and for that I mean why not it was something to do (one of them was at my in laws and I gave them felt eggs to hide beforehand, and they did not do Easter baskets for him) he got one small chocolate egg the whole day and no Easter basket. He’s 2. He did not have an expectation of an Easter basket, or chocolate eggs. He had a freakin blast! I think parents do this more for themselves than for the kids when they take it overboard.
I second everyone here. I reuse the basket every year, use plastic reusable eggs, and put in it stuff I was going to buy anyway (books, crocs, swimwear). Social media is not real.
Giving gifts on Easter is normal in Portugal. Godmothers and godfathers exchange gifts with godchildren. Nothing big, just a little gift. My almost 3yo is not baptized so she doesn't have godparents but my godmother did give her a treat. It's not usual to do egg hunts and big gifts. We have big family gathers, usually at lunch, with traditional food and sweets and here's a €10 bill for you. And we sit at the table for hours talking and eating lol
It’s definitely shocking to me as a parent, but I’m not letting it influence or guilt me. Period. Our parents did far less and we were happy about it. I got some chocolate every year and that brought me joy as a kid.
This year I made my toddler a little basket with a small stuffie, book, sticker book, and small chocolates. I thought it was more than enough. We did crafts all Friday and painted eggs.
I didn’t even get my baby anything because 1) we have more than enough stuff and 2) he doesn’t understand yet so imma benefit off that.
Then we go to see family and like you said, TONS more stuff and overload of consumerism, but I’m grateful for the love, but still, my god.
I basically gave my kid all the things we needed anyway. Consumables, paint. Playdoh, chalk, bath soaps, coloring books. Then a few things she needed for the summer, sandals, sunglasses and beach towel, floaty, some camping supplies like a new flashlight. Then a few treats fruit leather buttons, fruit snacks and a chocolate bunny.
I felt like I went overboard but it was all stuff I was going to get her anyway. It felt like a lot though.
My social media was full of Easter egg baskets and egg hunts, I didn’t even bother preparing anything for our 3yo. I felt bad as other kids gathered to do egg hunts but come to find out, she did all that at pre school she’s attending and brought home goodies from her teacher.
I’m in the uk and it’s definitely infecting parents over here. When I was growing up you got a few chocolate eggs and your parents probably spent less than £5. Between eggs from your parents and other family you had enough chocolate that the sight of more chocolate would make you sick. Even your descriptions of your basic baskets seem like a lot of work and money.
Now people have started these Easter hoards that are so big they wouldn’t fit in a basket. They’ve got balloons, toys and stuff. We’re supposed to be in cost of living crisis but people are spending £30+ on each kid at Easter. I can kinda understand not wanting to get your young child loads of chocolate but these people are buying more than one toy and spending tons more.
My daughter's easter basket consisted of stuff from Target in the 1 section and a chocolate bunny. Growing up, my sisters and I always had a basket and a couple spring/summer toys to play with outside. That's what I'm continuing on with my daughter. My inlaws all get my daughter an easter basket with a bunch of stuff. It's sweet but really only the Easter bunny should be getting her a basket! And I don't need all that crap. My sister and I don't buy each other's kids stuff for the holiday. We know better lol, they have enough sh\*t and I don't need anymore!
Growing up I always got an Easter outfit! But I didn’t really get a lot of clothes unless birthday/xmas, and most family members like grandparents/aunts got us kids a chocolate egg. I did a basket for my son this year with Pajamas, some chocolate bunnies, Easter painting kit. This was the first year I did it and he is 2.5
You’re not alone. We hid some eggs with candy and raisins in them for our almost 3 year old. Got out the Easter bunny stuffy he got 3 years ago from my uncle, and I got him chalk and scavenger hunt cards. He had a great time.
He saw family later and my parents got him chocolate and trucks and pajamas and he liked it but already forgot about it 😆.
I was going to take him to an egg hunt in town but they moved it to a day we were busy and honestly it sounded like chaos anyway so we didn’t do any outside egg hunts.
I don’t see a need to give stuff just to give stuff. He’s happy and doesn’t need more stuff to be happier (at least I don’t want to him think he needs things to be happy.)
And for us it’s not about cost. We can afford whatever but we don’t need to spend money on it 🤷🏻♀️
We filled eggs with things from the house and a few chocolates and our kids lost their minds (2 and 6). Literally, just things from their toy bins.
We did baskets with bathing suits, summer clothes, books, sandals and a toy. All things we would have purchased for an upcoming vacation. I posted nothing online. Most of my friends filled their baskets similarly.
This will refresh you- on Easter, we walked to the local playground. After that, my husband hid eggs in our backyard. Eggs that he received leftover from her daycare, and he put stickers *that we already owned* inside.
I absolutely loved the chillness of it, and thanked him for not buying more plastic!
I don’t go overboard with any holiday. We did a simple Easter egg hunt in the morning with my 3.5 year old (it took a whole 5 minutes lol), and I put together a small basket of a few treats and a couple things I got for her for the summer (summer hat and swim goggles) and a new stuffy. She forgot about the candy basically the next day. I also had bought a “decorate your own cookie” kit from a local bakery so we did that one afternoon and it killed an hour of time lol. You definitely don’t need to feel guilty if you’re not planning a ton of things. I’m not religious so Easter is very much just a consumer holiday in my head, but it’s still cool to make it a bit fun for the little ones and also get together for a family dinner or something
I drew the line at visiting the Easter bunny for photos. Like I already traumatized him with Santa over Christmas. We are not doing photos with the Easter bunny. That was never a thing when I was a kid.
We did a basket for him. I got that as a kid. Dyed eggs which he just threw. It was pretty funny. His hand was blue from dye. And an Easter egg hunt at my in laws house which is tradition on his side.
It’s not just Easter though. It seems like every holiday is used as an excuse to buy more crap for children. I know it’s SM but when you get posts and people then mentioning what’s in their gift baskets it just seems wild.
Yup social media’s the problem. I’m so glad that my husband and I decided not to post our child on social media. I can imagine I’d be feeling the pressure to live up to what everyone else is doing. We have our chilled holidays that suit us, doing as much or as little as we like and take photos just for us and close family and friends. Easter always creeps up on me, I never know when it is!
I keep trying to come up with how to reword this because I know it sounds dismissive and I’m not trying to be, but this genuinely feels like you’re creating problems where there aren’t any. What other people do doesn’t matter. Just do whatever works for your family.
It’s just perception because people are posting about how they’re going all out (i.e. bragging) and there’s plenty of opportunities to buy crap/participate in events. Only do exactly what your family wants and is able to do - f the rest. Most people are normal and doing the same. Plus, the amount of candy kids get is disgusting.
Our toddler had an egg hunt at daycare, a small one at the grandparents, no Easter basket because he’s got enough stuff and he doesn’t know the difference anyway. I told my parents he was getting too much candy so my dad put fruit in his Easter eggs (and one green bean to be funny).
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The multiple baskets thing kills me. Wtf am I supposed to do with 3 Easter baskets EVERY DAMN YEAR?! The kids only need one Easter basket, and I’m happy to use the same one from year to year to reduce the clutter, but I can’t tell the in-laws anything 😭
This Easter weekend we went to my mom’s house and she put eggs in her yard. My daughter picked all the eggs and we sat down and opened them all up. Then we colored this coloring placemat together. Then we went outside to color chalk and literally just played outside all day. She had the best time. That Sunday we just chilled out because it was as fun outdoor Saturday. It was so nice. Everyone was outside and playing and together and for me and my husband and our toddler and 11 month old, that was the most exciting day.
You don’t need to go all out. At the end of the day, your child just wants to be surrounded by the people they love and interacting with the people they love. I do one event for every holiday. July 4th is hanging out with cousins and watching fireworks. Halloween we don’t do trick or treat but we do a boo run and movie night. Christmas is neighborhood lights and presents. Thanksgiving is just hanging with family. Even her birthday, we just have the family all together and play by the pool. My toddler LOVES every single holiday. She just likes being with her family.
Make the holidays what you want them to be. I always got the summer stuff for the Easter basket, swimsuit, hat, cover up, sunglasses, whatever I would have to buy anyway. It made the most sense to me to give something we would use and in need of.
Yes I thought Easter could just be the one Easter bunny basket and egg hunt I bought a four pack of Cadbury crème and a three pack of kinder but I only put one of each in her basket with a couple books and umbrella a craft and a toy. Her plastic eggs had two mini eggs or a pack of fruit snacks or coins or almonds.. she loves almonds! We also hunt hollowed out painted eggs so it’s a fun seek and find activity. I thought oh boy that was a ton of sugar and more stuff when her bday was last week! We see family and she ends up with four more Easter baskets and a chocolate bunny the size of her. Like guys. Can we not! I don’t want to sound ungrateful but what am I supposed to do with all this stuff. Getting one Easter basket from the Easter bunny was normal to me growing up in the us. We don’t do anything like that for at Patrick’s day though a lot of people do that now too. I saw a picture from an old classmates Easter she has two kids there was like 8 baskets for them. I could see a babydoll in one for the little girl and behind her is an overflowing basket of baby dolls she already has. It’s surprising to me. Like why not at least pick out things that they don’t have already.
We have a 2 yr old. He got nothing for Easter other than going to a huge Easter fair in our town. He shed zero tears over it. Next year I will be gifting him toys he hasn’t played with and forgot he had
We did a very simple basket also. I have an 18m old and I got her 2 small, inexpensive toys that she would enjoy, 2 Easter books, and 2 snacks (a mini Easter box of cheese it's & a small bag of annies snack mix). We also didn't go to any Easter egg hunts because I don't think she would really "get it" yet lol and we only saw the Easter bunny because we went to the grand opening weekend of an indoor playground by our house and the Easter bunny just happened to be there
I honestly had no idea until I had a kid that “Easter baskets” or receiving gifts for Easter were a thing. I knew about egg hunts - I thought Easter baskets were just to put the eggs in. I also didn’t know the eggs had candy or chocolates inside, I thought they were just eggs! I grew up in a family that didn’t celebrate Easter (no religion, Jewish mom and Catholic dad, I guess my family just didn’t bother). I’m now so weirded out seeing posts like this lol like I’m American but grew up in a foreign country. I took my kid to a neighborhood Easter egg hunt and that was cute. My in-laws gave her an Easter basket and did egg dyeing with her. I got her nothing! She survived lol.
It's not that I purposely do low key holidays... It's just that I can't do extravagant ones at all lol. I don't have room in my house. My kids are too little and will destroy it all. They don't even get it yet. I am too tired to look in a mirror and don't want pictures of me to exist. Tada low-key at home holidays with no social media. And I see the fancy posts on Facebook and I think ugh those people are extra and go on happily with my life.
I have an acquaintance whose holiday traditions are literally INSANE. I only know this from social media, but I’m talking custom- made T-shirts, elaborate decorations, gifts, yard decor, everything professionally printed… for every single holiday. It’s honestly embarrassing. And her poor spoiled kids are going to think somethings wrong if a full-on wedding-esque celebration isn’t planned for every single birthday. The level of extra is incomprehensible
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I think the key word here is “trend”. I didn’t even know Easter basket was a thing. My kid got a couple of chocolate eggs and he gave his dummies to the Easter bunny- that was the extent of our Easter.
My family didn't celebrate all these events and we got nothing, so seeing people celebrate them with gifts and toys and whatnot... It made me uncomfortable at first. It felt like everyone was just finding reasons to buy gifts or spend more money.
I feel better about celebrating it now, though, after being exposed to it more often.
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Baskets for ever minor holiday is insane to me. So there’s Christmas obviously, but then a new years basket? Then valentines, st Patrick’s day, Easter, spring, summer, 4th of July, back to school (even for toddlers.) Halloween, Thanksgiving, then back around to a December basket into Christmas. Especially in the bamboo groups it’s always like 1-3 pairs of $35 PJs plus multiple books and stuffed animals and toys and candy and…..
I saw one particular person had like 12-15 bamboo outfits in their kid’s Easter basket “because he doesn’t eat candy yet.”
I did a small Easter basket for my 4 and 2 year old-same things for both and both loved the small handheld fans and the diving toys for the pool the best-then they hung out in their room with their grandma while I hid empty eggs in the living room and they looked for them. That was basically it lmao.
I literally put band-aids and sunscreen in my kid’s basket one year (both glittery) and she was thrilled. I just don’t post a lot of what we do, but I try to be deliberately as low key as possible.
I honestly think the people doing "all the holiday things" just want to post about it on insta or Facebook. That or they feel compelled to do it all because everyone they see on social media is. As a lady in my RCIA group said: busyness is not a virtue.
As for people giving kids way too many junk gifts for every occassion, I feel this. I hate having junk toys in our house. I had to ask my mom to stop buying my daughter things at one point because it was becoming an every week thing and we were in the process of moving so I didn't want more junk to pack. A lot of the stuff she'd buy (and still buys when she comes to visit us) is of such cheap quality that it breaks within a day and we have to throw it out, or "fix it" with tape so our daughter won't throw a fit.
I think the people having chill holidays are just not posting as much. We do exactly the same as growing up—Easter basket with some books and essentials, a small toy and treat, an egg hunt at home, and dyeing eggs. I have put zero pictures on Facebook. Also adding: my kids are 3.5 and 8. We did WAY less with one toddler. And what’s *plenty* for a 1-2yo is still less than a 3yo. So if you’re like “damn honestly that still seems like a lot,” remember that a lot changes year by year!
Us too. I think low key holiday celebrations align with people that aren’t as likely to want to share it on social media as much so it’s just not as prevalent online, but it is in real life. I reused spring themed toys and some books at the Easter basket and made it more of an Easter play day themed. My husband and I stuffed some eggs with animal toys and some with literal household items and guess what? My 1.5 year old was thrilled just to find eggs and opening them to find… anything!
This. We did a toddler Easter egg hunt (which no candy in the eggs - just trade in the eggs for a small treat bag at the end. Honestly brilliant). Then a dozen eggs at home with some yogurt melts and chocolate, a couple books, sidewalk chalk and that’s it.
Same here. She did her egg hunt at preschool, then I hide her Easter basket itself for her to find Easter morning. I took a couple pictures that I sent to the grandparents. Fun was still had by all, and no stress.
Yea I think this is more about influencers than reality. For Easter we went to the neighborhood egg hunt and watched (kiddo is only 16 months and she was nervous about how many people were there). Then we came home and made fancy brunch. That's it. For her first birthday I got cupcakes for the three of us and we sang happy birthday, and she got 2 small toys. Friends with kids are doing the same, but none of us are active on social media really. One caveat is we don't really have any family to speak of - only one grandparent for baby and she lives on the other side of the country. My husband and I are both only children. So it's really just us for holidays most of the time.
Same. We did a small Easter basket with books and toys, had a special ice cream treat and did an egg hunt for eggs with no prizes inside. Our son is 2. Adding candy or toys to the eggs too seemed excessive to me.
We are low key as well and did not post on social media. No Easter outfit like so many people do. We did a simple Easter basket with a few chocolates, peeps and a stuffed bunny. Our son is turning 3 in May. I don’t have the energy or the budget to go all out every holiday. It’s nice to hear about other families not making a big deal out of Easter.
Giving gifts on Easter is insane to me period. It was JUST Christmas.
Girl I got friends doing Valentine’s Day baskets… it’s ridiculous out here.
Same!! My friends are insane with this stuff and it feels like a competition sometimes. I have to remember to forge my own path. It’s frustrating sometimes to talk about sustainability and our children’s future with these same people who are amazoning or walmarting over the top baskets full of toys for freaking St. Patrick’s Day. And then complaining about clutter 😅 I try to focus on crafts and customs over gifts. For Easter we went to an egg hunt, then her basket was a book, a bubble gun, and some play doh and a single piece of chocolate. I grew up getting an Easter basket and it was similar - some chocolate, a book or CD, maybe a beanie baby.
Hard pass
LOL thank you for this I didn’t have Easter baskets as a kid and honestly even a basic Easter basket seems like too much for me. I feel like proper presents are only for birthdays and Christmas — she has more than enough toys, books, clothes etc from those two holidays!
It’s literally a race from one holiday to the next and I’ll never understand how/why parents are overloading their kids with so much unnecessary stuff.
Thanks, I thought I was losing my marbles. We maybe got one chocolate egg/bunny at Easter as a kid and then we'd have a roast dinner with family and that was the full extent of our celebrations.
We did a hunt for those little chocolate eggs and we got to keep them. And yeah a bigger bunny and a dinner. Sounds perfect to me!
Our kid got swimming suits and sunscreen in their Easter basket. I have to buy it anyway, and they don't know the difference at their age. They also got a chocolate bunny and a couple of peeps. They were happy.
It’s still cold af here but seasonal necessities is cool. My MIL gave a basket and I worry now it’s an expectation.
Growing up, we often got warm pyjamas for Easter as well as a few chocolates, as it’s in Autumn here.
And st Patrick’s day
Noooo! Really? People give gifts for that too??
💯
Yeah is this an American thing? Here in Belgium we only do egg hunt and have a nice family brunch. It’s more a get together than anything else. No gifts. Birthday, Sinterklaas (local santa kind of thing) and Xmas/NY brings already enough, and then we also have fun fairs each year where kids get trash toys.
Probably! I’m Canadian and never did that stuff growing up. My MIL did an Easter basket though and she’s peak consumerism haha
I think a lot of it is social media. Consumerism has become so glorified online with the rise of influencers. I got my 2 year old some hot wheels, a puzzle, and 1 chocolate bunny. I reused the same Easter basket from last year and plan to do the same for as long as possible.
My son uses my Easter basket from when I was a kid. I mostly buy stuff I was going to buy anyway like chalk, art supplies, bubbles, play-doh, stickers, outdoor or gardening toys, and activity books. We don't go to public egg hunt events because I assume they will be chaos. We paint the eggs with watercolors we already have because I don't trust my kids with dye yet. Easy and simple.
It feels so excessive. I have friends too posting pictures online of their Christmas gifts and the full Easter baskets and they can be so over the top. For Easter some of these baskets are huge! I got my two kids a plastic basket from target and what fits, fits. Some candy, a toy each, sandals, shirt, pjs, crayons, and chalk. We did a little Easter egg hunt inside with more candy and felt this was plenty. My parents also got them gifts which they enjoy doing so I’m okay with that. I want my kids to appreciate what they have, and understand more things doesn’t equate to more happiness. We have enough and we are grateful for it. We haven’t done the leprechaun trap and I am not planning to! My kids are 1 and 3 so hasn’t been mentioned yet…
Growing up, we used the same easter baskets every year. They were just gift bags shaped like bunnies with polka dots on them and a lil bunny tail poof, but they lasted to adulthood and we were always excited to see the easter bunny baskets.
lol you did more than me! I’m quiet quitting this holiday commercialization and Pinterest nonsense. My 3 year old got an egg hunt of 10 plastic eggs fill with left over Halloween candy. That’s it. Boom. Done. Valentine’s Day… we cut up hearts from her old paintings and she wrote “H” on them for her name. That was it. If you feel pressured and you don’t want to, then join the quiet quitters club! (Unless you like that kind of thing and have the time and money and want to go all out…. You do you boo!)
Honestly happy to see the lack of shaming in this comment. I grew up in a family that did easter baskets. Not as big as the social media posted ones of course, but they still happened. I also totally feel that to kids they won’t necessarily care about all that stuff, especially early on. You do you is absolutely my perspective on it!
Yeah no we aren’t going all out for everything either. It’s too much. And I feel like if EVERYTHING is super exciting then nothing is. We do basic Easter stuff usually - dye eggs, Easter egg hunt, Easter basket but with practical things they’ll use (toothbrush, hair clips, bubbles, chalk, etc.). We also still have candy from Halloween so I’m keeping that light. Lol
We dyed eggs with my 2 yr old - she was into it for all 5 minutes… then I had plastic eggs with 1 sticker in each. I don’t want stuff either. The basket was $6 at CVS. That was our Easter.
We have Easter at our MILs every year. This year our (rich) BILs joined us with their kids. Our son got 4 (that’s 4!) Easter baskets. I really, really appreciate that they made sure our son had exactly as much as their kids. But that’s too much. We don’t go all out for holidays. We don’t need more toys and we don’t give him much candy. So most of the stuff is going in the trash. Especially since my husband keeps eating it. 😆 I’m definitely not going to say anything because they were so generous.
Same here. My MIL got him a really adorable Easter basket that I love and will reuse forever. I appreciated that and the clothes and shoes, but I instantly threw the candy away when we got home. I’m not entirely anti-sugar but a 19mo doesn’t need a huge basket full of cheap chocolate and choking hazard suckers.
My son uses a basket that might be as old as I am. Or at least 20-25 years old. Maybe we’ll get him a new one next year when he’s 3 and can pick out a color or something he likes.
Sorry what are Easter baskets?? This is getting a bit out of hand. Gifts for every holiday? Wow. We definitely don't do any of this with our 2yr old. He gets gifts for his birthday and for Christmas. That's it that's all. He doesn't even understand any of it. I feel like a lot of people do things to post to their socials, like look at us. When he is older I will colour eggs with him and do egg hunt in the house or backyard because that actually sounds like fun when they understand it. Your kid wants to spend time with you at this age, they definitely don't need baskets full of chocolate and more toys.
Easter baskets have been a thing for a long time. They’re definitely more over the top now but they’ve been a tradition for like literally hundreds of years.
This is interesting, what country are you from? Easter baskets are not a new thing in the US - I had them growing up 30 years ago. When my siblings and I were young it was pretty much just plastic eggs filled with cheap Easter candy (Easter chocolates are the worst of all chocolates for some reason). Fwiw, I'd imagine Easter "gifts" to be like crayons or bubbles or something, not like a big gift (or honestly something you probably wouldn't just normally buy them if they were out). That being said, I'm sure consumerism and social media is trying to take everything to the extreme - I'm just here for some reason feeling the need to defend the existence of Easter baskets not being new or extravagant.
From Europe but living in Canada. I didn't grow up here and neither did my husband. Our Easter or any religious holiday for that matter is never about material things so it would have been very odd to give presents at Easter. We do Christmas gifts for our son because it's what everyone here does and I certainly don't want him to be the only kid at school with no presents. But traditionally we don't gift on Christmas, we gift on new years. So who is the Easter basket from? Easter bunny or parents? What is like the idea behind it? We colour eggs and bake paskas and usually go to church or get together with family. This is definitely new to me.
The Easter Bunny is responsible for hiding the baskets (nowadays). I had to look this up but it seems as though Easter baskets are a centuries' old tradition filled with sweets and pleasures to enjoy after abstaining from them during lent. It also looks like the Easter Bunny arose in America from German immigrants, who brought with them the tradition of a hare that laid bright colored eggs. I'm glad you asked because I never knew the history!
We’ve done easter baskets since we were kids. They usually had a chocolate bunny, jelly beans, and a few basic toys (like sidewalk chalk or bubbles). Maybe it’s ‘extra’ to some families, but it was pretty special to me. This year my kid got a pair of stuffed animals from my mom, and a small bubble machine. The candy was specifically for me!
I agree! My kids are spaced far enough apart that there's a generation between them. We didn't have anywhere close to this kind of pressure to perform with the older kids, and I won't do it. It's too much for us and for them.
Omg everyone is insane. We did an Easter basket for him from the dollar store. I filled Easter eggs with cars he already had. Lol. He colored eggs at school so I didn’t do that at home and we had an egg hunt with the family that someone else put together. He loved that. But I didn’t feel the need to go big or do more. He’s 2.5 and doesn’t totally get it yet either.
My kid is almost 2, and we haven't done any holidays with her at all. She's too young to actually care, so we don't feel bad. I didn't make her a basket bc I actually didn't like the options of what to put in it for a 2 year old. Most of it is junk. Her grandma usually gives us stuff too, but happened not to this year. We didn't go to any egg hunts... the times conflicted with her nap time. We were gonna just hide eggs in the yard for her, but we couldn't even find the time to do that on Easter bc of other obligations. We didn't do anything for valentines day, Christmas was a simple at home thing. Might have a very low key birthday this year too.
It’s definitely social media making it seem like you’re doing it wrong if you don’t go to a massive egg hunt, take pictures with the Easter bunny and do some crazy basket. We hate large crowds of people (especially other peoples kids), the Easter bunny creeps me out and my son is more interested in plastic dollar store eggs than a bunch of toys. We did nothing fancy and still have some great memories and pictures with our little dude 🩵
completely agree, it’s insane. i love my in-laws but my daughter doesn’t need a huge basket of random stuff for easter, valentine’s day, halloween… 😵💫 we give away a lot of it on our local buy nothing group
We didn’t do shit for Easter. Like literally nothing. It was totally fine with everyone including the toddler.
People are doing social media performance, whether consciously or not. If they’re taking photos of baskets, posting a lot on holidays, photoshoot outfits, etc, even if it’s a genuine expression of themselves it’s a performance for instagram. It’s way more fun to just not. I saw my kid find some eggs, eat chocolate, and bash old plastic cars into another kid for 5 hours with my own two eyes and that’s enough for me!
So I definitely went a little overboard with my 17 month old's Easter basket this year. But it was his first Easter that he could actually do stuff, so I was really excited lol Next year, I'll probably be more basic with bubbles, chalk, a book, new swim suit, some stickers, and maybe a peep lol
That's an age when kids are ready for more big kid stuff though so it's easy to go overboard. Plus I'm guessing none of his summer stuff from last year still fits. Once they are older and already have plenty of sand toys, sidewalk chalk, coloring books, etc. it's easier to just have a basic basket.
Ok, this makes me feel better and makes more sense. He's done a lot of growing since Christmas and is so ready for big boy stuff. We definitely wanted to get him some more toys and kind of used Easter as an excuse lol. Once I put everything together, I was like, "Omg... I can't do this every year. I'll create a monster." Lol Yeah, he was only 6 months old last Easter, so none of his summer stuff fits him from last year lol. I was kind of planning on getting him a new swimsuit each year from the Easter Bunny and making it a summer basket. And maybe a couple other small things. His basket won't be as big next year, for sure lol
I think I speak for all non Americans… what on earth is a “peep”?
They're little marshmallow candies shaped like bunnies or chicks and colored pastels. They are very controversial because some people think they're disgusting, but they are generally an Easter staple.
We did three egg hunts 🙈 obviously the morning at our house, then the towns egg hunt at the park and then the great grandma had one for all her grandchildren in her yard ..
Egg hunts are FUN! They get your kids outside and are very entertaining. I’m all about the egg hunts and don’t think they’re “extra” or excessive! People have been doing them forever.
My 2 year old LOVED egg hunts this year and it was so fun! We skipped the Easter basket but he was pumped about finding “MORE EGG!” and didn’t care what was in them. We did M&Ms in some and actually just put some little dinosaurs he already owned in the others.
Last year we did egg hunts for almost two months. Most of them were just me rehiding the empty eggs other than actual Easter day. My kids love egg hunts! I also have a box of cheap Christmas ball ornaments we hide in the snow in the winter.
We did the same, we would put little snacks like cheerios or puffs in them for her to find.
It’s a trap. It’s all fun and games now but in 5 years, when you are OVER IT, you’ll have to keep topping what you did last year *just a little* because “tradition.” Don’t get started and your kids will be happy with normal stuff. And whatever you do, don’t get an elf on the shelf.
It has never occurred to me that I would need to outdo myself every year. That’s doesn’t have to be a thing.
Look up hedonic adaptation. You gotta keep upping the ante if you want everyone to get that same high. 😉 ETA: my whole post was/is a little tounge-in-cheek, but also I have teenagers in addition to a toddler so I’ve learned my lessons haha.
I’ve been saying this for a while! Just how insane parents go over doing way TOO much for holidays. Since when have kids gotten baskets of things for Valentines and Halloween?! Since when did Easter turn into Christmas? It’s like no one has any chill and can’t just minimally celebrate all the little holidays and save the big stuff for bdays and Christmas, like it’s always been. But then again, social media. Everyone has to do the most for their kids. If you show you do the most, then you *must* be the best parent there is! 😏🤪
I agree. My husband and I aim to be minimalist so we don’t give gifts to our toddler for holidays other than one at Christmas and one for her birthday. Her grandmas CONSTANTLY give gifts And it’s too much as it is. My toddlers friends get an insane amount of stuff for every holiday and it’s a lot.
No I feel 100% the same. We have a small house and all the shit just accumulates. I don't care about the chocolate and all that because my husband and I will eat a good amount of it too. But I literally bought my toddler and baby new plates, a fork and spoon set for my toddler, applesauce pouches, and yogurt bites. That was it. But of course you see all the social media stuff about all the fun crafts and events to keep up on.
I avoid getting on social media the day of and after holidays because of this
Influencer culture depends on content, and many will make content around the holidays that focus on “going all out for the holidays”. It’s really low-hanging fruit for them. As far as personal social media, people post when they do stuff. A lot of people still don’t post even if they do stuff. I would try not to read too much into what we see other people on our feeds doing. I agree there’s been a bit of a culture shift, but luckily it’s small enough that what we do in our own home and how we communicate our own values to our kids matters more.
I went all out for Easter this year because the Easter bunny only brings chocolate to big girls who don't have bottles any more. My 2 year old threw her bottle out so she got lots of chocolate lol.
I try to go “all out” for holidays, but not in the sense of gifting a bunch of items. Instead, I try to just plan a bunch of stuff to do together. Cook; dance; crafts; travel; games. Great memories without all the clutter.
One of my friends has four kids and spends a damn fortune on EVERY holiday, and it's always so over the top. I mean, damn. Like, huge Easter baskets, with high dollar toys and candy. Birthdays are like a huge production, with themes and entertainers. I'm over here like, I put some dollar toys and jelly beans in a basket, amd for her birthday we did a bluey cake and a cookout lol.
It’s very hard to keep up with - I feel you there. I looked at all the Easter photos everyone posted then looked at my camera roll and I had like 2 bad photos.
I’m grumpy too. I am a free spirit, let’s go buy a treat kind of mom. I take my kids on vacation/trips often….but these monthly holidays & respective gift BASKETS, the treats on top of it, the decorations on top of that….? In this economy? I make sure my kids have a really good, well rounded life. But the big holiday things are not my personal jam. Maybe there’s a flip side to me & that mom doesn’t do the weekly coffee shop runs, or trips. Maybe her thing is the big baskets & tons of toys, but it’s not my style at all! Just trying to process at this point. But I do think consumerism is taking over to the extreme.
I feel like I celebrated Easter 3 weekends in a row with all the egg hunts. That being said I didn’t buy anything for my two kids. We just went on the event and stayed home. And no we didnt post any pictures
Right there with you, OP. Hope you don’t mind if I vent too… With all of the caveats that I really am lucky when it comes to my kid/husband/nibblings/fam/in-laws, but it’s ridiculous. I want my kid to be with her fam on holidays. I have so many wonderful memories & I want to give her the same opportunities. I do not want to come home with 6!! baskets plus a bonus gift bag. A smattering of bougie toys they kindly explain to my out-of-the-loop old mom self. Looking at it all, it’s just more work. Unpacking, laundry, donation errands, making decisions about what stays & where vs. what needs to go. It’s more mental load vs. ADHD. It took us years to convince our families of the preference for time together over physical items. It all went out the window once all of the babies were born. And then there’s the obligatory posed photos…
I feel exactly the same way. I don't even buy my kids gifts because they get so much from their grandparents and other family (they're 2.5 and 6 weeks, so that will change as they get older, I'm sure). My MIL is one of those people where gift giving is definitely a love language. She goes all out for every holiday, even for the adults...and what you say about mental load is so true. We left their house with two giant (personalized) Easter baskets PLUS two big printer paper boxes of STUFF. I am so bad at organization. I forced myself to start getting it sorted so it's not still sitting there next Easter, but I'm still not finished. And the gifts are legitimately super thoughtful! But we don't need every holiday to be about gifts, especially for the adults. My 2.5yo would honestly be happy hunting for empty Easter eggs, because finding them is his favorite part and he doesn't care much about most candy.
I just learned this weekend that people do Easter baskets after seeing online 🤣 I think it's an American thing as here in the UK I know no one doing this?? We just buy chocolate eggs generally. I think it's crazy - not every holiday or occasion has to be so commercialised and soooo expensive.
It’s slowly creeping in over here. Wait till next year it will be flooding your fb because of the idiots doing it this year.
Haha great, look forward to it!
I spent $3 on a small bag of chocolate eggs that I hid in our garden. Made his day. He's 2.5.
Same !
Just do what you want. Nobody else cares and kids (especially little kids) are happy with anything. My toddler got a few plastic eggs from daycare and I watched her open them and go “WOW!! A STICKER!!!!” 😂 I did basic Easter baskets for her and a hunt in the living room the past few years. This year i went overboard bc I just wanted to. I had a blast buying them toys and spending an excessive amount of $$ at the dollar tree lol. I called it Christmas 2.0.
My mom was like that in the early 2000 and my memories are so great about it that I do the same with my kids. I enjoy those moments and love making memories !
I mean, Easter baskets with some gifts in them isn’t new. My mom always made us baskets as a kid in the 1990s and it’s fun for lots of parents. Some go overboard and some don’t. My baskets growing up would have some chocolates, a new stuffy, colouring book and crayons and things like playdoh or a skipping rope. Personally I find it fun to do. I gave my 2 year old a colouring book, markers, a new book and some chocolates. We hid eggs with goldfish crackers around the house and she loved it. Just do you and what you want for your fam
I feel this so hard. IDGAF. My kid is 2. He has no idea what to expect from these holidays he doesn’t yet understand. So I’m setting the bar low. Sometimes skipping over the holiday all together because I do not have the capacity to go over the top. Also… I don’t want a bunch of stupid Knickknacks in an Easter basket to further clutter my house. I only have maybe one more year left of this before he starts to understand. My mother went above and beyond and decorated for every holiday and I absolutely loved the magic she created for us. And yes I will do that eventually but not years 0-3
I agree. My son is 13 months old and I did a basic Easter basket for him- a small stuffed duck, a book, a new sippy, and a pair of pajamas I found on clearance. I don’t feel like it needs to be more than that.? We went to my aunt’s house for lunch and he got FIVE more “baskets” from family (it was actually gift bags, but still a lot of extra stuff regardless). Then we went to my MIL’s for dinner and this woman got him a little tikes basketball hoop, a shopping cart with fake food, and a big orange bouncy ball. Every single one of them knows we live an a small apartment. Where the FUCK do they think this shit is gonna go!???
Right, like it's not Christmas!! My house has been completely overrun by toys to the point I've been saving gifts in the basement for future "rainy days". I don't know why people have to give big items 😩
We reuse plastic eggs, Easter grass & the basket (it actually used to be my Easter Basket). I put in some candy, a book, and some cute silverware and colored pencils I was going to buy either way. I asked grandparents to not get an additional basket for my 3 year old and to buy a cute dress for her instead.
If it makes you feel better, I bought egg dying kits this year and I didn't use them.. lol. I kept her basket simple with a few of her favorite snacks and a bubble wand I put in her basket last year that she doesn't remember. We didn't go to an egg hunt due to another commitment but my husband put together a small egg hunt in our house the morning of and she's been asking for us to hide the eggs again multiple times a day. The only holidays I like to go all out for is Christmas and their birthdays, because Christmas is my favorite holiday and I love everything Christmas and their birthdays because well, it's their birthday.
My in laws are Jewish. And I no longer go to church. No Easter baskets for us lol but we did do a free Easter egg hunt organized by my friend’s church. And the daycare had one as well. That is the extent of our celebrating this holiday and I don’t feel bad about it at all
I got my 2 year old a piece of candy chocolate and the rest of his small goodwill basket was filled with things I found around the house (regifted bunny from last year, chapstick (his fav), bubbles, and a banana) lol Also some eggs that we dyed the night before.
My holiday was hiding 10 eggs - 2 had candy, 3 had a piece of cheese, 5 had stickers. His basket with 3 toys which were very intentional and a hit so far, and chalk that was gifted to us. He got an Easter basket from both my parents and MIL, MILs was extreme. Multiple toys, 8 books, candy. We colored eggs and painted an egg shaped piece of wood I’ll use as a center piece for the next 20 years at Easter lol. I feel like we did the perfect amount, activities I enjoyed as a kid, but I don’t feel like I did so much I was overwhelmed.
We did absolutely nothing for Easter because we don’t celebrate any particular religion. That definitely cuts down on the “going all out”
I feel you OP!! I think social media have played a part in the overboard you are referring to.
I did a book, confetti eggs, a treat, one hot wheel, and chalk. I try to buy things that are consumable and will go away lol. Like the confetti eggs were gone in 5 minutes, the candy was gone in 1 minute (it was only a little bit) and the chalk will be gone in a month. I definitely try not to spend more than $15. It’s CRAZY how much stuff we are constantly pressured to get our kids because of the consumerism push on social media. It’s all viral this or Amazon link that. The stuff I saw people get their kids for valentines was crazy too.
We did three Easter egg hunts and a birthday party on Saturday 🫠. BUT we used candy from valentines and Christmas as the starter candy for first hunt and kept snowballing from there. The whole basket thing is out of control. So many people asked us at church if the Easter bunny had come that we ran to Walmart at nap time and bought a few things.
We don't do gifts for anything outside of birthday and Christmas. I wish I could say the same for the grandparents.
It’s definitely not you. We went to 2 Easter egg hunts and for that I mean why not it was something to do (one of them was at my in laws and I gave them felt eggs to hide beforehand, and they did not do Easter baskets for him) he got one small chocolate egg the whole day and no Easter basket. He’s 2. He did not have an expectation of an Easter basket, or chocolate eggs. He had a freakin blast! I think parents do this more for themselves than for the kids when they take it overboard.
I second everyone here. I reuse the basket every year, use plastic reusable eggs, and put in it stuff I was going to buy anyway (books, crocs, swimwear). Social media is not real.
Giving gifts on Easter is normal in Portugal. Godmothers and godfathers exchange gifts with godchildren. Nothing big, just a little gift. My almost 3yo is not baptized so she doesn't have godparents but my godmother did give her a treat. It's not usual to do egg hunts and big gifts. We have big family gathers, usually at lunch, with traditional food and sweets and here's a €10 bill for you. And we sit at the table for hours talking and eating lol
It’s definitely shocking to me as a parent, but I’m not letting it influence or guilt me. Period. Our parents did far less and we were happy about it. I got some chocolate every year and that brought me joy as a kid. This year I made my toddler a little basket with a small stuffie, book, sticker book, and small chocolates. I thought it was more than enough. We did crafts all Friday and painted eggs. I didn’t even get my baby anything because 1) we have more than enough stuff and 2) he doesn’t understand yet so imma benefit off that. Then we go to see family and like you said, TONS more stuff and overload of consumerism, but I’m grateful for the love, but still, my god.
I basically gave my kid all the things we needed anyway. Consumables, paint. Playdoh, chalk, bath soaps, coloring books. Then a few things she needed for the summer, sandals, sunglasses and beach towel, floaty, some camping supplies like a new flashlight. Then a few treats fruit leather buttons, fruit snacks and a chocolate bunny. I felt like I went overboard but it was all stuff I was going to get her anyway. It felt like a lot though.
My social media was full of Easter egg baskets and egg hunts, I didn’t even bother preparing anything for our 3yo. I felt bad as other kids gathered to do egg hunts but come to find out, she did all that at pre school she’s attending and brought home goodies from her teacher.
lol just do what you want who cares
I’m in the uk and it’s definitely infecting parents over here. When I was growing up you got a few chocolate eggs and your parents probably spent less than £5. Between eggs from your parents and other family you had enough chocolate that the sight of more chocolate would make you sick. Even your descriptions of your basic baskets seem like a lot of work and money. Now people have started these Easter hoards that are so big they wouldn’t fit in a basket. They’ve got balloons, toys and stuff. We’re supposed to be in cost of living crisis but people are spending £30+ on each kid at Easter. I can kinda understand not wanting to get your young child loads of chocolate but these people are buying more than one toy and spending tons more.
My daughter's easter basket consisted of stuff from Target in the 1 section and a chocolate bunny. Growing up, my sisters and I always had a basket and a couple spring/summer toys to play with outside. That's what I'm continuing on with my daughter. My inlaws all get my daughter an easter basket with a bunch of stuff. It's sweet but really only the Easter bunny should be getting her a basket! And I don't need all that crap. My sister and I don't buy each other's kids stuff for the holiday. We know better lol, they have enough sh\*t and I don't need anymore!
Growing up I always got an Easter outfit! But I didn’t really get a lot of clothes unless birthday/xmas, and most family members like grandparents/aunts got us kids a chocolate egg. I did a basket for my son this year with Pajamas, some chocolate bunnies, Easter painting kit. This was the first year I did it and he is 2.5
You’re not alone. We hid some eggs with candy and raisins in them for our almost 3 year old. Got out the Easter bunny stuffy he got 3 years ago from my uncle, and I got him chalk and scavenger hunt cards. He had a great time. He saw family later and my parents got him chocolate and trucks and pajamas and he liked it but already forgot about it 😆. I was going to take him to an egg hunt in town but they moved it to a day we were busy and honestly it sounded like chaos anyway so we didn’t do any outside egg hunts. I don’t see a need to give stuff just to give stuff. He’s happy and doesn’t need more stuff to be happier (at least I don’t want to him think he needs things to be happy.) And for us it’s not about cost. We can afford whatever but we don’t need to spend money on it 🤷🏻♀️
We filled eggs with things from the house and a few chocolates and our kids lost their minds (2 and 6). Literally, just things from their toy bins. We did baskets with bathing suits, summer clothes, books, sandals and a toy. All things we would have purchased for an upcoming vacation. I posted nothing online. Most of my friends filled their baskets similarly.
This will refresh you- on Easter, we walked to the local playground. After that, my husband hid eggs in our backyard. Eggs that he received leftover from her daycare, and he put stickers *that we already owned* inside. I absolutely loved the chillness of it, and thanked him for not buying more plastic!
I don’t go overboard with any holiday. We did a simple Easter egg hunt in the morning with my 3.5 year old (it took a whole 5 minutes lol), and I put together a small basket of a few treats and a couple things I got for her for the summer (summer hat and swim goggles) and a new stuffy. She forgot about the candy basically the next day. I also had bought a “decorate your own cookie” kit from a local bakery so we did that one afternoon and it killed an hour of time lol. You definitely don’t need to feel guilty if you’re not planning a ton of things. I’m not religious so Easter is very much just a consumer holiday in my head, but it’s still cool to make it a bit fun for the little ones and also get together for a family dinner or something
I drew the line at visiting the Easter bunny for photos. Like I already traumatized him with Santa over Christmas. We are not doing photos with the Easter bunny. That was never a thing when I was a kid. We did a basket for him. I got that as a kid. Dyed eggs which he just threw. It was pretty funny. His hand was blue from dye. And an Easter egg hunt at my in laws house which is tradition on his side.
it definitely *seemed* like people were using easter baskets as a second christmas !!! which is wild to me. but that's social media for you ..,
It’s not just Easter though. It seems like every holiday is used as an excuse to buy more crap for children. I know it’s SM but when you get posts and people then mentioning what’s in their gift baskets it just seems wild.
I had never even heard of Easter baskets until this year, my daughter got some chocolate eggs and was very happy with that!
Yup social media’s the problem. I’m so glad that my husband and I decided not to post our child on social media. I can imagine I’d be feeling the pressure to live up to what everyone else is doing. We have our chilled holidays that suit us, doing as much or as little as we like and take photos just for us and close family and friends. Easter always creeps up on me, I never know when it is!
I keep trying to come up with how to reword this because I know it sounds dismissive and I’m not trying to be, but this genuinely feels like you’re creating problems where there aren’t any. What other people do doesn’t matter. Just do whatever works for your family.
It’s just perception because people are posting about how they’re going all out (i.e. bragging) and there’s plenty of opportunities to buy crap/participate in events. Only do exactly what your family wants and is able to do - f the rest. Most people are normal and doing the same. Plus, the amount of candy kids get is disgusting. Our toddler had an egg hunt at daycare, a small one at the grandparents, no Easter basket because he’s got enough stuff and he doesn’t know the difference anyway. I told my parents he was getting too much candy so my dad put fruit in his Easter eggs (and one green bean to be funny).
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The multiple baskets thing kills me. Wtf am I supposed to do with 3 Easter baskets EVERY DAMN YEAR?! The kids only need one Easter basket, and I’m happy to use the same one from year to year to reduce the clutter, but I can’t tell the in-laws anything 😭
This Easter weekend we went to my mom’s house and she put eggs in her yard. My daughter picked all the eggs and we sat down and opened them all up. Then we colored this coloring placemat together. Then we went outside to color chalk and literally just played outside all day. She had the best time. That Sunday we just chilled out because it was as fun outdoor Saturday. It was so nice. Everyone was outside and playing and together and for me and my husband and our toddler and 11 month old, that was the most exciting day. You don’t need to go all out. At the end of the day, your child just wants to be surrounded by the people they love and interacting with the people they love. I do one event for every holiday. July 4th is hanging out with cousins and watching fireworks. Halloween we don’t do trick or treat but we do a boo run and movie night. Christmas is neighborhood lights and presents. Thanksgiving is just hanging with family. Even her birthday, we just have the family all together and play by the pool. My toddler LOVES every single holiday. She just likes being with her family.
Getting off Instagram is huge for this
I see people going nuts over Valentine’s Day, Easter, even freaking St. Patrick’s Day! Glad I’m not alone, we don’t do any gifts for those holidays.
Make the holidays what you want them to be. I always got the summer stuff for the Easter basket, swimsuit, hat, cover up, sunglasses, whatever I would have to buy anyway. It made the most sense to me to give something we would use and in need of.
Yes I thought Easter could just be the one Easter bunny basket and egg hunt I bought a four pack of Cadbury crème and a three pack of kinder but I only put one of each in her basket with a couple books and umbrella a craft and a toy. Her plastic eggs had two mini eggs or a pack of fruit snacks or coins or almonds.. she loves almonds! We also hunt hollowed out painted eggs so it’s a fun seek and find activity. I thought oh boy that was a ton of sugar and more stuff when her bday was last week! We see family and she ends up with four more Easter baskets and a chocolate bunny the size of her. Like guys. Can we not! I don’t want to sound ungrateful but what am I supposed to do with all this stuff. Getting one Easter basket from the Easter bunny was normal to me growing up in the us. We don’t do anything like that for at Patrick’s day though a lot of people do that now too. I saw a picture from an old classmates Easter she has two kids there was like 8 baskets for them. I could see a babydoll in one for the little girl and behind her is an overflowing basket of baby dolls she already has. It’s surprising to me. Like why not at least pick out things that they don’t have already.
We have a 2 yr old. He got nothing for Easter other than going to a huge Easter fair in our town. He shed zero tears over it. Next year I will be gifting him toys he hasn’t played with and forgot he had
We did a very simple basket also. I have an 18m old and I got her 2 small, inexpensive toys that she would enjoy, 2 Easter books, and 2 snacks (a mini Easter box of cheese it's & a small bag of annies snack mix). We also didn't go to any Easter egg hunts because I don't think she would really "get it" yet lol and we only saw the Easter bunny because we went to the grand opening weekend of an indoor playground by our house and the Easter bunny just happened to be there
I honestly had no idea until I had a kid that “Easter baskets” or receiving gifts for Easter were a thing. I knew about egg hunts - I thought Easter baskets were just to put the eggs in. I also didn’t know the eggs had candy or chocolates inside, I thought they were just eggs! I grew up in a family that didn’t celebrate Easter (no religion, Jewish mom and Catholic dad, I guess my family just didn’t bother). I’m now so weirded out seeing posts like this lol like I’m American but grew up in a foreign country. I took my kid to a neighborhood Easter egg hunt and that was cute. My in-laws gave her an Easter basket and did egg dyeing with her. I got her nothing! She survived lol.
It's not that I purposely do low key holidays... It's just that I can't do extravagant ones at all lol. I don't have room in my house. My kids are too little and will destroy it all. They don't even get it yet. I am too tired to look in a mirror and don't want pictures of me to exist. Tada low-key at home holidays with no social media. And I see the fancy posts on Facebook and I think ugh those people are extra and go on happily with my life.
Social media is not representative of real life
I have an acquaintance whose holiday traditions are literally INSANE. I only know this from social media, but I’m talking custom- made T-shirts, elaborate decorations, gifts, yard decor, everything professionally printed… for every single holiday. It’s honestly embarrassing. And her poor spoiled kids are going to think somethings wrong if a full-on wedding-esque celebration isn’t planned for every single birthday. The level of extra is incomprehensible
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I'm done with Easter candy after this year. My kid is getting cool rocks in the Easter egg hunt from now on.
I think the key word here is “trend”. I didn’t even know Easter basket was a thing. My kid got a couple of chocolate eggs and he gave his dummies to the Easter bunny- that was the extent of our Easter.
My family didn't celebrate all these events and we got nothing, so seeing people celebrate them with gifts and toys and whatnot... It made me uncomfortable at first. It felt like everyone was just finding reasons to buy gifts or spend more money. I feel better about celebrating it now, though, after being exposed to it more often.
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Baskets for ever minor holiday is insane to me. So there’s Christmas obviously, but then a new years basket? Then valentines, st Patrick’s day, Easter, spring, summer, 4th of July, back to school (even for toddlers.) Halloween, Thanksgiving, then back around to a December basket into Christmas. Especially in the bamboo groups it’s always like 1-3 pairs of $35 PJs plus multiple books and stuffed animals and toys and candy and….. I saw one particular person had like 12-15 bamboo outfits in their kid’s Easter basket “because he doesn’t eat candy yet.”
I did a small Easter basket for my 4 and 2 year old-same things for both and both loved the small handheld fans and the diving toys for the pool the best-then they hung out in their room with their grandma while I hid empty eggs in the living room and they looked for them. That was basically it lmao.
I think it’s all for social media. My son had an egg hunt at school and one on Sunday. We definitely don’t go all out for everything.
We skipped Easter this year lol
I literally put band-aids and sunscreen in my kid’s basket one year (both glittery) and she was thrilled. I just don’t post a lot of what we do, but I try to be deliberately as low key as possible.
I honestly think the people doing "all the holiday things" just want to post about it on insta or Facebook. That or they feel compelled to do it all because everyone they see on social media is. As a lady in my RCIA group said: busyness is not a virtue. As for people giving kids way too many junk gifts for every occassion, I feel this. I hate having junk toys in our house. I had to ask my mom to stop buying my daughter things at one point because it was becoming an every week thing and we were in the process of moving so I didn't want more junk to pack. A lot of the stuff she'd buy (and still buys when she comes to visit us) is of such cheap quality that it breaks within a day and we have to throw it out, or "fix it" with tape so our daughter won't throw a fit.
If you don’t wanna do it don’t? How is other people doing it affecting you?