I love to make a celebration basket. Valentine’s, Easter, Halloween, Christmas – even Bonfire Night! All of these holidays require a seasonal celebration basket for Jett.
I wouldn’t draw the line at making these for adults, either! I’d love to receive one myself and if I knew Jonny would appreciate one, I’d make him one, but he definitely wouldn’t haha. So don’t think that just because I’m talking about making these for children, you can’t also make them for any adults you love!
I try to give a celebration basket well in advance of the event – e.g. a Christmas one on the 1st December. Then I fill it with things that can be enjoyed all month long and help with some intentional memory making! Crafts, snacks, personalised toys and so on, all linking back to the holiday of course.
My celebration baskets are always so popular on Instagram but do receive the same few questions – usually along the lines of how do I have the time, the energy or the money. And I understand that for most, it definitely is “just another thing” to think about and do. And that’s totally fine! For me, creating these is a hobby. It’s for me as much as it’s for Jett, it brings me joy to make them and I put money aside to do them. It’s all very personal to me. So if it’s not something you have the resources to create right now, that’s fine – please don’t let this post feel like you HAVE to be doing it. Celebration baskets are just meant to be a little bit of fun, to add some additional magic to holidays. Some people love them, some don’t.
And if you’re someone who loves them, or maybe wants to start loving them – well, these tips are for you!
Tips for making a celebration basket – where to start
First things first, you’re gonna need a basket! You can pick literally any basket you like. I tend to go for wooden crates, sometimes personalised by small businesses, sometimes plain ones. You can order and create your own from The Works for as little as £4! I’ve seen some people use wicker baskets, some use metal ones – it’s all down to personal preference.
One thing I will always try to do is get two uses out of a basket – e.g. for Jett’s Halloween ‘boo basket’, it was only personalised on one side. I ordered a personalised decal to stick on the other side and voila, the boo basket became a Bonfire Box.
I also choose to line my boxes with coloured tissue paper, always left over from a package I’ve ordered or presents – I never buy any brand new tissue for the sake of it looking pretty!
Once you’ve picked your basket and lined it out, it’s time to start filling it with goodies!
What goodies go in a celebration basket?
You can honestly put whatever you want in a celebration basket – just keep it in theme with the holiday! There are a few items I always make sure are in there, like a seasonal outfit, a personalised wand from one of my favourite small businesses, Aubrey and I, and a relevant book. But when you’re looking for things to include, here are some of my top tips:
- Plan a year in advance and shop the sales! After every seasonal occasion, all seasonal products get completely slashed in price. Take advantage of this and stock up on items for next year’s seasonal basket!
- Alternatively, shop a month or so ahead of the seasonal occasion. Easter 2022 isn’t until April. It’s currently February 2022 and I have picked up almost everything for Jett’s Easter celebration basket for £1!! But you can guarantee as we get closer to Easter, the prices will go up…
- Don’t be afraid to go secondhand. Search on Vinted and charity shops for toys and seasonal outfits. A lot if people will buy a seasonal outfit, wear it once and get rid, so it’s definitely worth having a browse to see if you can find one for your celebration basket.
- Quality, not quantity – fill with intention. Don’t try and make a celebration basket that’s full to the brim of things your little one will look at for a few seconds and then abandon, or won’t last a long time. I always fill with intention – will this outfit last more than the holiday, will this book be read for a long time to come, can I reuse this item outside of the season, or for next year? And so on! I’d rather put in five good quality items that will be used time and time again than 10 bits of tat that I’m just wasting my money on!
Don’t feel pressured to put one together!
Making a celebration basket is supposed to be fun! I think I might even have more fun putting them together than Jett does opening them haha. The moment you start feeling pressured to make one, stop. If it’s causing you financial strain, any kind of pressure – stop. Celebration baskets are supposed to be a joyful extra to any holiday season. The minute it becomes more than that, forget about it. It’s not worth losing sleep over!
If you have the emotional, physical and financial capacity to put one together, that’s brilliant! If you don’t, no problem. I’m sure you’ll find other ways, your own ways, to add a sprinkle of magic to special occasions. That’s the beauty in holidays! Everyone celebrates them so differently.
Do you make celebration baskets? I’d love you to share them with me!
Love from,
Florence Grace
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