Easter baskets

I love Easter time.  I love the sweet baskets and of course all the SWEET candy to fill them with. 

Today I thought I would do a little research on the history of the Easter basket. 

It has been estimated that around 90% of children in the US receive some form of gift-filled Easter basket during the holiday season. It's worth noting that this estimate comes from the National Confectioners Association (NCA) whose members sell many of the candy treats and chocolate eggs.

A recent NCA survey also discovered that chocolate bunnies are the most popular Easter basket item - some 90 million are sold every year. Jelly beans come second with a staggering 16 billion jelly beans sold annually.

The History of the Easter Basket

The tradition of a bountiful Easter basket goes back a long way before our modern consumer driven version. Spring has always been seen as a time of rebirth and blessing and the fertility godddess Eostre (or Oestre) was sometimes depicted carrying a basket of eggs. It was traditional to take baskets of early seedlings to temples to increase the chance of a good harvest.
This ancient custom is reflected in the Catholic tradition of taking the Easter food to mass to be blessed.
The Easter basket was especially popular in the countries of central and Eastern Europe. It appears to have been brought to the USA in the 18th century by the same German settlers who introduced the Easter bunny.
In earlier times when Easter bonnets were at their most popular it was common for the bonnet to be used in place of a basket.


The History of our Easter Baskets

The baskets above were purchased at Perry Brother's Five and Dime store over 40 years ago!!  My mom said these were our baskets every year for Easter.  Mine, the one on the left,  once had bright colors.  And the one on the right, my older sister's, was once a deep purple.

I am thrilled to have these for the boys now.  I put them away every year after Easter to make sure they stay intact.  Otherwise they would be used for hauling rocks or mud outside.  Or maybe they might try to sit in them.  Who knows?!  My boys do the silliest things sometimes.

Anyway I can remember as a little girl always getting a hollow chocolate bunny with lots of other yummy treats in that basket. And it was always wrapped in a colored cellophane. We always had
dyed Easter eggs in our baskets and would hunt for them for hours on Easter Sunday after church.

I have yet to purchase anything to put in these baskets for the boys!!!  YIKES!  I need to get with it.
Only a few days away. 

A chocolate bunny is always a hit with the boys.  Along with jellybeans and a small stuffed animal.  I try to keep what I put in their basket very simple because many years it falls right around their birthday.  This year it is only 3 days before.  By keeping it simple they don't expect much anyway. 

What are your memories of your Easter basket?  What do you fill your children's basket with?
And for kicks, who knows what a Perry Brother's Five and Dime store is?