Easter is a Christian holiday that is marked by pagan rituals and history, including the Easter Bunny, representions of fertility, and family parties alongside elements commemorating the day that Jesus rose from the dead.
To add yet another element, enter Earth Day, a much more simple and perhaps less religiously stemmed event, based on simply keeping our planet safe and healthy for future generations. Since it’s just a few days past Easter, it even makes good sense, if doable for your family, to pair the two together.
So if you happen to — or plan to — celebrate both Easter and Earth Day this year, here are a few suggestions of how you might combine these two dates.
Easter baskets don’t have to be made of, or even use, plastic.
Sure, it’s so easy (and inexpensive) to run over to your local pharmacy or order online a plastic pink concoction with a handle on it and a bunch of plastic eggs. But if you’re trying to combine these two dates, it seems counterintuitive to have a bunch of plastic junk that’s going to hang around the planet, choking out fish for the next few hundred years. Though it might be a bit more costly, going to a local store and purchasing a wicker basket — or even having a person in the community who has basket making skills create one for you — will make such a nicer impact and spread the message to your children that quality is important and that you care enough about them to help leave the planet in better shape for them.
Furthermore, a nice basket can last for years to come and can be used in other ways around the home. It can be used to display soap in a bathroom or guest room, hold candy or treats for other holidays, or even hold goodies as a house gift for a new neighbor or for the holidays.
Other options instead of a basket include a cute wooden box (even a vintage one), a canvas bag or box, a cardboard box festively painted — even a recycled, painted tissue box — or a knit or crocheted basket, box, or bag. With a little creativity, the options are truly endless.
Speaking of using less plastic …
This also means that wrapping a basket in plastic is also unnecessary. If it must be wrapped at all, you can use colored construction or tissue paper, wax paper, brown wrapping paper, or dyed or patterned fabric — or just don’t wrap it at all.
In addition, given that the candy purchased to fill the Easter basket mostly comes wrapped in plastic, perhaps you can consider baking or making contents that will reduce the plastic load. Baskets don’t have to contain candy at all — there is no rule that says so!
Books, wooden toys, baked goods like brownies and cookies, dyed Easter eggs, (real) flowers, fruit, art supplies, clothing, stuffed animals, and homemade items make for great Easter basket contents. Think of items that can be reused for years to come and passed on once the intended recipient is through with them.
Bunnies don't have to be made of sugar.
Let’s face it — chocolate or marshmallow Easter bunnies are gigantic energy units with ears for children. No one should ever eat that much sugar in one sitting (though it’s admittedly fun and delicious). If you take a look around, especially at your local bakeries or specialty shops (every town has at least one), you may find homemade Easter treats that are not wrapped in plastic, or you can ask for them not to be. Bring your own container and ask that treats be placed directly in it.
One local bakery near me, Kitchen Chemistry, makes their own “peeps,” and they are so adorable. I’d be willing to bet that they don’t contain any weird ingredients, either (or maybe fewer weird ingredients).
Homemade Easter bunny-shaped cookies are another option, as are illustrations of bunnies or cuddly plush bunnies. Again, baskets don’t have to be full of candy.
Make Easter mean more.
While Easter can be a great opportunity to spend time with family and friends, to get the most out of your time together, planning a community-based experience could help easily put the Earth Day into Easter — or vice versa.
When I was young, my family used to do a scavenger hunt in the front yard and then take a family hike. I still remember this time that we spent together and look back so fondly on it. Though we didn’t really celebrate Earth Day at the time, an easy way to incorporate it would be to pick up trash along the way, bring native plant seeds and sprinkle them as you walk — which both plants native species and feeds the wildlife — or have a discussion while you walk about ways as a family that you can commit to helping our planet.
Starting these traditions while our children are little will hopefully guarantee that they can keep those traditions going for generations to come. If we are all so lucky, our planet will thrive from these little efforts.
