For so many of us, everything seemed to have cancelled overnight including holiday celebrations. The stay at home/ shelter in place orders will likely affect Easter celebrations as well. Along with not being able to attend Church, Easter egg hunts will probably not occur either. I know the ones that we planned on attending already cancelled. Since we are living in a time of so much uncertainty, I find myself wanting to spread JOY. Seeing people find light in their seemingly dark days is therapy to my soul that I desperately need right now.
When I thought about ways to share light and spread joy from home, I was reminded of a neighborhood tradition that we participated in around Halloween called ‘You’ve Been Booed’. I thought, wouldn’t it be cool if we could provide a basket of goodies and an egg hunt for families? You’ve Been Egged idea was born!
HOW IT WORKS
To start, one neighbor secretly leaves a small Easter basket on a neighbor’s doorstep. Nowadays, it seems like everyone has a smart doorbell so you may want to be incognito. Last Halloween, I laughed so hard at the person wearing a gorilla mask captured on our video. The Easter basket can be whatever variation or size that you want. It really is the thought that counts! Inside each basket is a printable explaining that ‘You’ve Been Egged’ and instructions on how to pass it forward.
FREE PRINTABLES
With the help of Josh & Becca from Hadley Designs, we created these FREE printables for you to use. One version of the printable is the instructions which explains the 12 hidden eggs and how to spread the same JOY to more neighbors. The other is to be displayed in your front window. This will let others know you have already been egged.
For the FREE printables click here. Enjoy!
IDEAS FOR EASTER BASKETS
Normally I would say to fill each basket with small trinkets or other dollar bin type items, but this year I would like to challenge you to shop local. Our small businesses have been hit really hard by the current situation and many non-essential stores were forced to close. So for the ones you can’t do curbside pick-up, consider ordering online from their website.
Here is what we included in our baskets:
- Easter Egg Bath Bombs from Old Fort Soap Company
- Donut Playing Cards from The Monogram Shoppe
- Chocolate Bunnies from DeBrand Fine Chocolates
- Popcorn from Poptique Popcorn
- Easter Sprinkle Set and Cookie Cutters from Country Kitchen Sweetart
- Iced Sugar Cookies from Cookie Cottage
- Sidewalk Chalk (great way to decorate the neighborhood)
- Easter Egg Coloring Kit
- Several Dye-able Plastic Eggs
- Cookie Mix and Icing
- Inflatable Bunny Ear Ring Toss Game
- Peeps
- Jelly Beans
- Plus candy in the hidden Easter eggs
Other ideas
- Coloring/ Activity/ Sticker Books
- Crayons or Colored Pencils
- Candy
- Cookie Mixes with Sprinkles
- Easter Themed Cookie Cutters
- Small Toy
- Glow Sticks
- Window Clings
- Easter Decorations
- Easter Egg Decorating Kit
- Play-Doh
- Games (card games or dice)
- Flashlights
- Small Easter Crafts
- Bubbles
- Small Books
All this social distancing and staying at home can take a toll on your family’s happiness and mental health. Although it may seem frivolous to prioritize the things that bring JOY in our lives but this is exactly what we need to do. Continue to celebrate the birthdays, holidays, and the small moments! Continue to spread kindness and JOY to others. Continue to throw confetti and intentionally celebrate. You may never know just how much someone might be needing it today. We are all in this together.
Happy Easter!
See ‘Neighborhood You’ve Been BOOed Fun’ for the Halloween version of this fun tradition.
