Tea Blog

Easter is quickly approaching. Time to think about what to include in your Easter baskets for the little ones in your life (or for yourself, even). There are five things that seem essential – that is, it just isn’t Easter without them! Here they are:

1 A Basket

Actually, chocolate should be #1, but I thought I’d start with the basket so you’d have something to put the chocolate into. These are usually the woven kind with a tall, arched handle, and are often painted white or a pastel shade of yellow, pink, green, or blue. They are often filled with that fake grass.

2 A Stuffed Toy

Bunnies, chicks, and ducks seem to be the usual items. Even a little lamb. They are signs of the renewal of life’s cycle after the cold and winds and snows of Winter. The stuffed toy versions are very cuddle-able (you can squeeze them tight without fear of squishing them too hard), don’t grow into adult animals that you have no place for in your home and end up having to get rid of, nor do they need to be fed and cleaned up after. A win-win all around.

3 A Teapot

What? You don’t put teapots in your Easter baskets? How are your children going to grow up to be tea fanatics if you don’t include a teapot in the various gift baskets you give them during the year? You can make it a child’s version teapot, if you like. If a teapot is out of the question, then substitute something like some cookies or other things. But don’t blame me if they grow up to be cola drinkers.

4 Plastic Eggs and/or Peeps

These should be filled with various candies, of course. You could always substitute something else seasonal such as Peeps, which are no longer confined to being chick-shaped and yellow (there are now bunnies, and the colors include pastel purple and a rosy pink).

5 CHOCOLATE!!!

Finally, and most importantly, chocolate critters (usually bunnies and squirrels) are essential. So are things like Cadbury crème eggs. Some chocolate lovers out there are so anxious for these treats to be available that they start asking about them well in advance of their arrival (the best ones are imported from the UK). When munching the bunnies and squirrels, you can either save the head for last (which is what I usually did as a kid) or start with it first.

The final item you need is self-restraint, as in not gobbling up all the goodies before Easter morning. Good luck!

See more of A.C. Cargill’s articles here.

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