Passover begins on the 14th day of the first month of the Jewish year. It lasts for eight days, with the Jewish Christians celebrating His resurrection in association with the Passover. Gentile Christians wanted to celebrate on a Sunday, which causes the date to change each year.

Traditionally, the date for Easter is on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the vernal equinox. The date is actually calculated based on the Paschal Full Moon, which is based on lunar tables rather than the actual phases of the moon. Today, Eastern churches use the Julian calendar while Western churches use the Gregorian calendar. Eastern churches maintain the tradition of Easter falling after the Passover, which doesn’t always correspond with Passover in the Western churches.

There are also many secular traditions associated with Easter. The Easter bunny, eggs and even the name Easter all stem from pagan beliefs. The name Easter is probably derived from the Teutonic goddess of spring and fertility, Eastre. She was honored during the month of April at the vernal equinox to celebrate the spring. The rabbit, as a symbol of fertility was associated with her. Eggs were painted as part of the celebration and they used bright colors to represent the spring sun. People still decorate eggs using bright colors, many times creating amazing works of art.

The tradition of the Easter Bunny bringing the eggs started with German settlers in America. They called him Oschter Haws. They also used the brightly colored eggs. Christians adapted the eggs to symbolize Christ’s rebirth. Another Easter tradition with a dual meaning is Hot Cross Buns. In pagan traditions, the x on the top of the bun represented the moon’s four quarters. Christians used it to symbolize as the cross on which Jesus was crucified.

All of these traditions have been blended over the years to become what we know now as Easter. Many families have found a way to balance the sacred with the secular to create many holiday memories for years to come.

Sports - Whether the boys in your family play sports, or just enjoy watching their favorite team, a sport themed basket is sure to score big.  Sports trading cards are always popular with young boys.  Another easy idea is to use sports themed pencils and erasers; sometimes you can even find them for specific teams.   If you are feeling creative, you can make cookies or candy with cutters or molds shaped like balls, bats and other sport equipment.  Age appropriate books about their favorite sports or athletes can also be a great addition to their basket.  If you buy a simple bucket, it can be decorated to fit the theme either with paint or stickers. One suggestion would be to draw lines on the outside of a bucket to look like a basketball hoop.

Vehicles - Boys of all ages love cars and trucks.  A few small cars or trucks are a great gift idea.  Older boys might enjoy putting together models. There are many nice snap-together models that don’t require any glue or painting.  If your boy enjoys drawing, there are books that can teach them how to draw and design their own cars.  Car shaped cookies and candy can be fun.  Remote control cars are also a great gift. There are even a number of kid friendly movies about cars out there. A cute basket could be made from a new NASCAR trashcan.

Science - Do you have a future scientist in your family? An archeologist?  Putting together a science-themed kit is as easy as one, two, three.  Find a few simple things, like a magnifying glass, small telescope, possibly some rocks, . Plastic dinosaurs are always popular.  There are even kits you can find where the kids can “dig up” bones just like an archeologist.  Adding dinosaur cookies and bug shaped candy provide the finishing touch. A book with kid-friendly experiments done with household items can be a great gift that is fun for the whole family.

Putting together your own Easter basket is not only fun, it is a more personal gift.  With some smart shopping, it can be less expensive than the pre-packaged ones as well.  It is easy to adapt any boy’s interests into a nice gift for Easter.  Trust me your little men will love these easter baskets.

Peter Cotton Tail Relay - There are a couple of ways to play this relay game.  Both use cotton balls and have the players divide into two teams.  For the first variation, the kids have a bowl of cotton balls in front of them (one cotton ball for each child) and an empty bowl on the other side of the room.  Give each team a spoon (a small plastic spoon for older kids, and a larger serving spoon for younger kids).  Each child picks up one cotton ball in their spoon, and carries it to the empty bowl, runs back and hands off the spoon to the next child. The first team to transport all the cotton balls to the other bowl wins. They can’t touch the cotton ball with their other hand except to pick it up if it falls to put it back on the spoon.

The other version of this game needs to be played indoors, as the children have to use their own straw to blow the cotton ball to a line and back again. The first team to get all their cotton balls across the finish line and back across the finish line wins.

Colored Eggs - Another fun game to play at Easter is Colored Eggs. This game can also be played two ways.  If they are outdoors, it can be played like tag, with “eggs” standing together, with the wolf between them and the Easter Bunny.  One child is The Wolf, who wants to steal all the colored eggs from the basket.  Another child is the Easter Bunny and gives all the eggs their color, by whispering the color to each child and moves to the other side of the playing area (with the wolf standing between the bunny and the eggs). When the wolf calls out a color, the egg of that color must run to the Easter Bunny before the wolf tags them.  The first child tagged becomes the next Wolf and the Wolf becomes the Easter Bunny. 

If the children are inside, there is only a Wolf and an adult is the Easter Bunny, giving out the colors. It is then played like musical chairs and the wolf can call two or three colors at a time.  The eggs all jump up and run to an empty chair. The last child standing becomes the next Wolf.  The Wolf can also “upset the basket” and all the eggs have to run for a new chair.

Mother Bunny, May I? - A simple game for younger children is playing Mother, May I? but have the child call Mother Bunny instead of Mother. The only moves they can make are bunny hops.

Flowers - What little girl doesn’t like flowers? There are any number of adorable baskets and buckets with flowers on them. You could even put her things in a clay flowerpot. Decorating a plain container with either paint or stickers can personalize it even more. You could purchase a few packages of flower seeds and kid garden tools so she can plant her own flowerbed.  Chocolate roses could also be a nice touch.  You can find them in most stores, or buy molds and make your own.  Depending on her personality, adding some gummy worms could be fun as well.  Top it all off with a new Easter bonnet that can double as a gardening hat, covered in flowers.

Animals - If she loves animals (and what little girl doesn’t?), you could put together a basket featuring her favorite animal.  If the animal has a distinctive pattern, such as a zebra or giraffe, you could decorate the outside of a simple basket or bucket with the same pattern.  You could probably even find a stencil at your local craft store.  A small stuffed version of the animal is usually easy to find, instead of using the standard Easter bunny.  There are many books and movies to chose from about animals of all shapes and sizes.  It should be no problem to find an enjoyable one.  Of course, no matter what her favorite animal is, she’ll still enjoy having a chocolate bunny in her basket.

Fashion - Many girls love playing dress up and getting into mommy’s makeup and clothes.  Putting together some age appropriate makeup, or even play makeup for the younger girls, would be a nice treat.  Add in some things for her hair, like barrettes, clips, ribbons, or headbands.  A matching comb, brush, and mirror set can make a nice gift to add to the basket as well.  Depending on the young lady’s age, you could put in some of the candy jewelry, like necklaces and ring pops.  The older girls would enjoy some fun jewelry as well.

There are many other possible themes for girls.  If she collects a particular toy or figurine it can be used as a theme.  Add some pretty tissue paper or Easter grass, some ribbons or bows and your basket is almost complete.  There’s an almost endless choice of candy out there to add for the finishing touch.  Let your imagination flow.