You may wonder why I haven’t posted any planning advice for Easter yet. 

First, for me, Easter is predominantly a religious holiday. The big preparation is internal, not external.

Second, I am a firm believer that Easter baskets should be simple — candy, some art supplies, a book or two.  I have seen Easter baskets that are $100+ extravaganzas of electronics and other high-end gifts.  Sometimes too much is just too much.  The shopping shouldn’t take much time and can be done last minute.  (I don’t know about you, but I couldn’t have that much candy in my house for any length of time.  Last week I bought a six-pack of Peanut Butter Eggs.  They didn’t last 36 hours. If you have better self-control, good for you!)

Third, the big Easter event should be the family dinner.  If you want to go all out, toss in an Easter egg hunt.  (That has to be done last minute because, really, do you want the eggs sitting out for ages?)  At this point, all you need to do is invite people and sketch out the basics of a menu.  Your menu should be flexible.  Easter is a spring holiday.  It should celebrate freshness.  I have the basics of my brunch menu decided, but I plan to hit the farmer’s market the day before and flesh out the menu based on what looks freshest.