Our Easter Bunny is gluten-free and fun! Who doesn’t love an Easter basket? The Easter Bunny’s gifts are so much more exciting than the average under-pillow cash left by the Tooth Fairy. When I was little, the Easter Bunny sometimes brought me a dress or a necklace along with a basket of brightly colored candy treats.
When my kids were small, we had a regular pre-Easter party with some friends who had no children, but loved to dye Easter eggs. We’d don bunny ears, eat some egg shaped jello shots, decorate the eggs, hide them, and let the kids hunt them. It was a regular tradition.
Sometimes it’s tradition that becomes a stumbling block on a gluten-free journey. We feel so attached to the specifics of the tradition that we forget that in reality all traditions evolve and change. Sometimes we inflate the importance of how things have always been over our current schedule restrictions, financial concerns, or health needs. And sometimes our family members pressure us to toe the traditional line in both subtle and overt ways.
One way to prevent a fear of loss, fear of change, or fear of being blackballed from leading you to make unhealthy decisions for you or your children is to get inspired and excited by the additional possibilities. I say additional because you don’t have to give up every single piece of a tradition. You can start with some comfortable, familiar elements and add new, exciting things to them. Think of it as upgrading from a flip phone to a smart phone or watching your favorite TV show online instead of on cable. You can still make phone calls on a smart phone, but you can also swipe your way through photos, use your phone as a TV remote, ask an electronic assistant for directions, voice text, and stream that TV show you now watch online. Additional features enhance the experience.
A gluten-free Easter can still include dyeing Easter eggs, hiding them and hunting them. It can include bunny ears. It can also include an Easter basket filled with Dove chocolate Easter bunnies, Peeps marshmallow chicks, Hershey’s plain milk chocolate kisses wrapped in bright colored foil, Jelly Belly jelly beans, many M&M candy products. You’ll have to leave out my favorite malted milk chocolate Easter eggs, and read all the labels to make sure the ingredients haven’t changed, but the resulting basket will still feel familiar.
If you want to reduce sugar consumption, there are fun Peeps socks, hats, and shirts available. https://www.peepsandcompany.com/brand/candy/gluten-free Etsy has a huge variety of Easter jewelry. https://www.etsy.com/market/easter_jewelry For puzzle lovers, Puzzle Warehouse offers Easter puzzles from 36 to 1000 pieces. http://www.puzzlewarehouse.com/Easter-and-Spring-Puzzles/?aid=360592,147&cid=0&budget_from=&budget_to=&sort=mostPopular&show=15&stock=1 HearthSong® has a Color Me Bunny that I’d love to color right now, Hatch ‘Em Eggs with baby animals inside, and about 20 other things I want to play with! http://www.hearthsong.com/easter/easter.htm Now I feel inspired to play!
Everything seems easier when you’re excited about the possibilities rather than worried about the changes. It can be especially true when you choose a healthy path that means eliminating a food you love. So, find something that excites and inspires you and your gluten-free Easter Bunny will be fun too!
Have an inspiration you want to share? We’d love to hear it!
Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”