Growing up in Pennsylvania, my Grammy Yocom would always throw the best Easter egg hunts. It was always cause for trampling my Poppy’s newly-bloomed daffodils as we searched for our ever-elusive Easter baskets. My Grammy was the queen of Easter baskets, choosing not to fill them with hard-boiled eggs, but each of our personal favorite treats. I’ve been allergic to chocolate since I was a child, so for me she would always tuck in jelly beans, marshmallow Peeps, and a white chocolate bunny (she had tried carob one year... that was a huuuuge mistake that she never repeated!). My cousin Greg would always get a huge, one-pound peanut butter or coconut egg (this was before all of the candy companies started making Easter versions of their candies) so what amounted to an enormous Reese's peanut butter cup was a huge treat.

When I moved to California and became a nanny, I started the tradition with the children that I baby sat. In fact, up until two years ago when they left for college, I would still make the early morning pilgrimage to Sam and Hannah’s every Easter, where I would secretly stow baskets on their front porch. Which leads me to believe that you are never too old for an Easter basket!

Everyone loves a little treat, and a basket is the perfect thing to fill; it’s not too big, it’s not too small, it’s just right for a few sweets and an “I love you.” So this Easter, why not try putting together baskets for the ones you love? You could theme them according to their tastes and hobbies. For example...

For those that love cooking...

The Meal Basket
Meal baskets are fun because they include a recipe card tied with a bow to the handle and all the ingredients necessary to make that dish. You’ll want to do something that doesn’t have meat or an item that need refrigeration, but veggies, pasta, and canned items work really well. Choose a favorite dish or dessert that may be new to your receiver.

New Cook Basket
If you’ve got someone who is just discovering the joys of cooking, then a good basic cookbook (like the Joy of Cooking) and some important basic kitchen essentials like measuring cups, measuring spoons, mixing bowls, a whisk, a good wooden spoon, a timer, and the like would make a super fun basket.

The Gourmet Basket
My sister is known for doing the best gourmet baskets! She goes into little specialty stores and find the most amazing spreads, crackers, breads, and treats. Everyone gets excited about little treat that they’re not used to, and so mixing up a variety of different tastes and flavors can be thrilling.

The Baker Basket
Why not gather a basket full of ingredients to make something sweet? A box of mix, muffin tin, baking cups, icing, food coloring, and tiny candies to decorate cupcakes would be fun. Who knows, perhaps your basket’s recipient will share the tasty treats it makes with you!

For those who love working with their hands…

The Crafter Basket
If you are someone who loves crafts, you can never have too many supplies. Fill plastic Easter eggs with little baggies (to keep things from flying all over when the eggs are opened) full of supplies: glitter, sequins, jewels, and other tiny embellishments. Put in packs of duct tape, pipe cleaners, popsicle sticks, glue, felt, paper, crayons, markers... the sky is the limit!

The Seamstress Basket
Fill a basket with needles, thread, bobbins, pins, measuring tape, fabric, patterns, and a good pair of scissors. A book of sewing projects would top off the basket.

The Do-It-Yourselfer Basketr
How about a little basket filled with tools: hammers, nails, screwdrivers, working gloves, a battery-powered drill, a tool belt, and a “How to fix Everything” book.

For those who need a little escape time…

The Spa Basket
What better way to relax than a basket filled with bath salts and bubble bath, nice shampoos, a thick washcloth or loofah, face masks, moisturizers, candles, chamomile tea, and a romance novel?

The Puzzler
I love puzzles, so getting a basket filled with word search books, crossword puzzles, a dictionary, easy Sudoku books, and a pack of pencils would put me over the moon!

The Reader
I also love to read, so a basket filled with suggested novels from my friends would be amazing. Cater to your age group; do teen novels, comic books, graphic novels, books on tape, whatever fits their personality.

The point here is that Easter baskets are a great little gift for anyone and any age. You don’t have to be a little kid to enjoy the thrill of a basket. Just remember when creating your basket you’ll want one central, large item (a book, a piece of equipment, etc.) and then surround that large item with a bunch of smaller items. Each basket always needs a crowning jewel, whether it be a chocolate bunny, or a book on knitting. One thing’s for sure, anyone who receives a basket Easter will be hopping up and down with joy!