I send my grandaughter money to buy the children eastereggs. They and their friends have an Easter egg hunt in their large garden.
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Do they transmitters but presents at Easter ? In my family we o my bought Easter Eggs for children, but my daughter has married a man whose family treats it as another Christmas, and I have been included in the receiving and consequently the giving.
I send my grandaughter money to buy the children eastereggs. They and their friends have an Easter egg hunt in their large garden.
My grand children get a small gift...maybe a book instead of Easter eggs...they get enough chocolate eggs without me adding to the pile...
If I was you I would stand my ground....tell them it is not your way. Up to them how they do it but I think it gives children the wrong idea...
I’m from the North East originally and we always made a bit of a fuss over Easter....dying hard boiled eggs with onion skins etc. My children are grown but I still do Easter baskets. For children I collect things all year : pencils with wooden animals on, socks with rabbits on, soap eggs. I also buy Easter activity books, which prove very popular. For an adult how about a book mark with spring flowers on or a sachet of bath salts/ drawer scents....both easy to post
I recall during my childhood spending easter, like xmas, as a celebration.Church on easter sunday. lunch at my aunts house, opening our easter eggs then, weather permitting, countryside walks with us kids picking primroses and violets Back to my aunts for hot cross buns and Simnel cake.
Eggs...lots of them ????????
I only do eggs, but my son's children are part of a family which treats it like another Christmas. Last Easter my granddaughter got an expensive hairdryer , and my grandson got a computer game. Their mother got a Gucci handbag from her parents, apparently. I just look and wonder at the extravagance of it all.
I would just send a really nice card addressed to the whole family, and only give Easter eggs for the children. It's nice they include you in their celebrations but most families have their own traditions, so you should not really be expected to follow theirs if it's not something you would usually do or want to do. Obviously your daughter has adopted the way her in-laws do things, but that doesn't mean to say you have to do as well. If you start this year to just send a card, then this will become "your thing".
Only Easter eggs here,
Oh no I just do the chocolate eggs. No card either. I'd only do a different type of gift if I knew the person was not eating chocolate for some reason, like a diet.
When our sons were young we always gave them a Lindt chocolate bunny each and we still do that now that they're adults, also the DILs. We give our GC an egg if we see them over Easter, and if they are staying with us we'll do an egg hunt in the garden with small hollow eggs. If we don't see them I just send an Easter card to the whole family. DH and I also exchange small eggs. If I'm visiting someone I take them some Spring flowers. I also send Easrer cards to friends we rarely see.
Singlegrannie Couldn't you just give eggs to the children and simply omit the adults. If it's their custom to exchange a lot of gifts then they probably won't even notice. I don't think you need to explain your reasons.
I buy one chocolate egg for each grandchild and a small non chocolate gift like a little craft set or a book. If it’s a baby (2 of my 6 GC are babies) I get a baby t shirt and maybe a small fluffy chick or lamb. Adults get a small egg each (just my 3 AC) or if I see something Eastery like a spring scented candle or Easter bunting I might get that! I aim to spend no more than £10 a person. Spring is expensive anyway here because my birthday and one DGC’s are both in March and one AC and another SIL have April birthdays! On top of Mothering Sunday and Easter itself?
Surely message your daughter now perhaps to say you’ve appreciated the kindness of all the chocolate gifts in the past but as a type 2 diabetic you don’t want anyone to waste their money this year and apart from gifts for the grandchildren ( only if you want) you’ll be making a small donation to a charity in lieu of sending a gift, and theres no need to send you anything.
Easter eggs or pocket money and get together for a really nice meal.
Singlegrannie - As you say you're 'in it' now, but maybe you could say you will not welcome chocolate (for the reasons you give) but would be happy with spring bulbs/flowers or whatever simple thing you might choose. Also give this type of thing to others who may not welcome or benefit from more sugar. Although it may be hard at first - if you stick by what you say AND keep to low cost things only, they WILL get the message eventually.
We always have a lovely (family) Easter dinner...usually roast ham or lamb w/mint sauce, potatoes, Brussels sprouts roasted with bacon, honey and pine nuts, a carrot raisin salad and a yummy Hummingbird cake for dessert.
When my own children were very young, we would dye and decorate Easter eggs the day before. Gifts? Heavens no! The most I ever did was to produce a basket with Easter candy and as many (brand new) coloring books/crayons needed to keep the little ones busy after dinner.
I bought my hubby Ken some Easter Bunny Scarecrows for the garden which he loved. You could buy something practical that will last instead of chocolate eggs, etc. You don't have to spend a lot of money either.
My son doesn't eat chocolate (I think he was swapped at birth!) so we used to do a little gift about the cost of a chocolate egg - maybe a fiver. But his grandmother still goes mad.
Singlegrannie when my daughter was about 3 she received nearly 20 easter eggs from my extended family. I put a stop to buying eggs and asked for the equivalent cost in clothes or money.
I love the idea of giving seeds or small plants, if they're accompanied by a pretty pot and soil, even children will enjoy planting them and watching them grow! A summer bulb, sunflower seeds, tomato or cucumber seeds are a grat favourite.
Maybe a potted plant for the parents also, if they were included in the easter presents. It could then become your unique gift at Easter, even after 5 years of giving eggs.
I do the Easter egg hunt at my house on Easter Sunday as they don’t have garden...and move it indoors if weather bad. And they get 1 big egg each as well. This year grandson is saving all his pocket money to buy something, so may ask if he’d prefer cash to chocolate. But an Easter egg for kids and son in law. No presents as such
I wouldn't dream of buying chocolate for my grandchildren but I do buy an Easter themed gift for them, usually something arts and crafts related.
Probably spend about £5-10.
We take our two grandsons (aged 9 and 6) away to a big Christian get-together every year at Easter (Spring Harvest for those in the know). We don't buy them Easter eggs because their parents give them some to take away with us and there's only so much chocolate a child can eat. The younger ones will get a book.
More money than sense.
Dear Singkegrannie, on the positive side you are included in with the in-laws, and not excluded from the eggs, presents or thoughts.
We tend to give vaguely Eastery chocolate, and if anyone asks me, I really prefer bulbs! Give dd mini eggs or similar, and a plant. ?
We always just give Easter eggs but the relatives of some of the children I fostered sometimes gave religious gifts as well. Things such as a children's bible or bible story book, cross and chain, Catholic Mary and child pendant, St Christopher etc
Don't do gifts - I am not religious but I would prefer the link to be made in both Christmas and Easter rather than they be complete commercial rackets so there is some understanding about the culture of our country. I am equally happy to recognise other ceremonies that are now celebrated in the UK
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