Holiday Hits: Happy Easter!

From MarthaStewart.com

Easter Sunday has arrived, and I'm sure that in addition to the meaning of the day everyone is focused on spring, flowers, bunnies, chicks, eggs, and/or most especially candy!  I am loving the dreamy table setting pictured above, and while mine will not be quite so fancy we will certainly make an effort to set a pretty table for the Easter feast.

I found a very funny article about what not to give someone as an Easter gift.  Although I have never even considered giving gifts other than candy for this holiday, if I ever did I would definitely follow the advice given.  In fact, I have even come up with acceptable alternatives for the truly ghastly finds the article mentions!  For example, instead of the horrifying Chocolate Zombie Bunny (honestly, who comes up with these things?  And the most disturbing aspect of all is that the site is sold out!) I would gift a Lindt milk chocolate Gold Bunny, recently rated as the best milk chocolate bunny out there:

And instead of presenting an unsuspecting loved one with a live Easter bunny or chick, why not go the live flowers route instead, which will be much more appreciated by most:

From ProFlowers

While children may enjoy the hilarity of Easter Bunny Poop Soap, I think that I can safely say the vast majority of adults would be happier receiving these more subtle Egg Shaped Soaps:

I suppose no holiday is safe from being exploited as the topic of a horror movie, but there is no reason to promote this trend!  Stick with a classic like the delightful "Easter Parade" (1948) and you can't go wrong:

Giving apparel as a gift is fraught with peril, as you must not only know the recipient's tastes, you must also know their size!  If you are willing to enter this dangerous realm, my best advice is to keep your selection simple -- try to avoid anything too showy or busy like the goofy Candy Bunny T-shirt (which by the way is shockingly expensive!).  An elegant long-sleeve cashmere T-shirt in a soft orchid color would be perfect:

From Land's End

If you are sure your giftee would prefer something with more visual interest, at least aim for a more restrained pattern in a less holiday-specific design, like the floral print on this Romance Beaded Tee, which even has tiny crystals scattered over it:

Let's face it, almost any Easter-themed wreath is going to look tacky -- the Easter Bunny Marshmallow Peeps Wreath is actually much better looking than a lot of other Easter wreaths I found on the Web!  If you are going to go to the trouble of hand-crafting a wreath for someone, though, why not use real flowers and create something like this lovely hydrangea wreath instead:

And why waste your money on a gift like a sticker set for children when the little ones would probably be happier creating their own art.  Just set them up with a craft area full of colored paper, safety scissors, colored pencils or crayons, etc., and let them do whatever they wish!  I love the idea of this German Easter Tree, where children can design their own paper eggs to attach to a picture of a tree.  The  tree shown here was pre-made, but I'm sure creative kids would enjoy making their own:

I didn't feel the Carrot Lollipops were that bad, but I think I would look for something a little more interesting to give as a gift.  If I had the time and the energy and wanted to gift an Easter edible on a stick, I might make my own Easter Cake Pops:

Otherwise I would let someone else do the work for me, and still have gorgeously decorated Easter Egg Cake Pops to give:

So you see, there is absolutely no reason to give a bad Easter gift to anyone when there are so many wonderful choices out there!  Of course, if you are deliberately considering a bad gift for someone because you feel that they deserve one, then I can't stop you -- and may I make one more suggestion:

Ralphie's bunny costume in "A Christmas Story" (1983)

(from Vinylmation Kingdom)