Somehow through the years, Easter has become a secondary holiday to Christmas in terms of gift-giving, fantasy tales, and indulgent treats. I have fond memories waking up on Easter morning with a dainty blue easter basket at my spot at the dinner table, filled with pink cellophane grass and plastic eggs that snapped in the middle. My sisters and I snacked on jelly beans, Robin Eggs, and Peeps well into April. Even after the magic of the Easter Bunny was replaced with realism, the fun spring treats still remained even after I moved out.
In talking with my peers, it seems like a lot of college students who celebrate the holiday get some sort of present, but the adult Easter basket looks a little different. Some candy remains, but the contents have somehow gotten bigger: gift cards, jewelry, clothes, and accessories. It begs the question: is the adult Easter basket just a way to get stuff from your parents?
The History Of Easter Baskets
But let’s back up a bit to how this tradition even started. Why a basket? Why a bunny? The story behind Easter baskets is simple. At the end of Lent, a Catholic fast that ends on Easter Sunday, people would bring food for a large meal in baskets to the church, where the food would be blessed. However, the act of bringing food in a basket to be blessed is a widespread tradition, predating Christianity and relevant in paganism. Eggs and the Easter bunny are traced back to European symbolism of fertility and new life. This makes sense, because Easter is also associated with the spring equinox.
What To Put In An Adult Easter basket?
Some of the contents of adult Easter baskets are very similar to a child’s. After all, you don’t grow up and stop liking jelly beans and chocolate. But the chocolate gets a little bit fancier – maybe a pack of Lindt truffles — and the plastic eggs are replaced with more mature items. Here are some things you might expect to find in an adult easter basket.
Candles
Honestly, who doesn’t love a candle? Candles are a timeless fix-all for any gift giving occasion, whether it be birthdays, anniversaries, or Easter.
Water Bottle
I’m sure we all have a stash of water bottles that does not need adding to. But if it comes in a cute spring pastel color and can brighten someone’s mood, you just have to.
Skin Care
Spring cleaning does not have to stop in your living space; it can be a skin reset too.
Fancy Chocolate Eggs
When you’re giving to an adult, you can invest in a nicer chocolate because it probably won’t be devoured as fast as if it was going to a child. These chocolate praline eggs stick with the Easter basket tradition, with a little bit more sophistication.
Adult Easter Baskets: Cringe Or Cute?
In short, to each their own. I don’t particularly care for an Easter basket for myself because I don’t want to put the people I love through another holiday spending season. I like getting chocolate, and wouldn’t mind any self-care supplies, but I definitely will not be expecting the new spring Stanley in my Easter basket.
However, I do support getting an Easter basket as an adult because my mom loves making it for me. As college students, I think that Easter baskets are a sweet, sentimental way to let your parents forget that you’re grown up for a little while.