Easter Candy

Many, many years ago (like, 59 years ago or so) there was no such thing as the Easter basket. Sure, there was Easter candy, in fact Reese’s Peanut Butter Eggs date back to Shakespeare – they were totally his fave, and the candy that fueled his writings more often than even bread and water! But they were not to be found in a basket on Easter morning, rather they sat in a pile on the table. A pile that while delicious, left itself open to thieves. Candy thieves. The worst thieves of all.

Many children would excitedly scamper out of bed only to arrive in the kitchen just in time to see a Jelly Bean Bandit filling his pockets with their Marshmallow Peeps, and greedily stuffing Mini Cadbury Eggs into his big, thief mouth! The parents couldn’t handle it anymore, going to bed every year on Holy Saturday wondering if it might happen to their family. Committees were formed, meeting times were set, and business was most certainly gotten down to!

Like any idea in its infancy, some missteps were made. The Easter Sock lasted for exactly 1 Easter before they went back to the drawing board. Nobody likes to retrieve their chocolate Easter bunnies from that which usually holds their feet.  Next came the Easter pocket; an oversized pocket stitched to children’s pajamas that was designed to hold their candy, which the parents would sneak in to fill while they slept. Well, it turns out chocolate melts pretty easily, especially if you sleep with it in your pocket. A big Easter oopsy! As luck would have it, the third time was the charm, and like so many great things it was an accident.

One of the committees had decided that it would be best to have a paper ballot so people felt free to offer ideas they otherwise might not. On her way out the door on the way to the meeting, the committee chairwoman grabbed a basket to hold the ballot. That night’s ideas for solving the Easter candy debacle were particularly varied! Now that people had the freedom to offer any off the wall suggestion they wanted without ridicule, they went a little crazy. One person suggested an Easter wheelbarrow. Another suggested burying the candy the night before and letting the children dig for it in the morning. Strangely, 2 people suggested leaving it out on the table. They apparently didn’t understand what this meeting was about AT ALL! It had become customary to close these meetings by enjoying a piece of whatever Easter candy you brought along – to end the night on a good note. But everyone was so frustrated that no practical idea had been born, that they threw their candy down on the table in emotional exhaustion. After all, Easter was just 2 days away, and the best idea thus far was an Easter wheelbarrow!

It was as if it happened in slow motion. Someone had tossed their Cadbury Crème Egg at just the right angle for it to bounce off the table and land squarely in the middle of the ballot basket. Everyone stopped talking. Everyone stopped moving. It grew so quiet you could hear a jelly bean drop. Slowly, they raised their heads from the basket to meet each others’ eyes. As quickly as it had become quiet, there began a celebratory uproar! Baskets! Of course, baskets! Women hugged, men high-fived, Old Man Murphy did a little jig in the middle of the table, holding what was once just a ballot basket, and now was oh-so-much more.

*If this bears any resemblance to the real way the Easter basket happened, it’s purely accidental. For realz.

I’m not going to beat around the candy bar bush – I love chocolate. This may not be the most profound thing about me, or the most surprising; after all, I work at a candy company, and most people love chocolate, so chances are pretty good that I’m a fan! But profound, surprising or otherwise, it’s definitely a way I identify myself – as a chocolate lover. Of course I have my favorites, including plain Hershey Bars and oh-so-satisfying Snickers Bars. Those are candy bars I can enjoy all year, and I am happy for that, believe me I am! But there is something special about those candies that only stop by for what seems like a Sunday afternoon before they’re off the shelves and barely past the tip of your tongue. Of all these seasonal sweets, of which there are many that I love, I can’t think of any so fabulous as you, Mini Cadbury Eggs.

I love everything about you, Mini Cadbury Eggs. Ev-er-y-thing. I love your glossy purple bag. I love your adorably speckled candy shell.  I love the way that candy shell perfectly cracks, letting your milk chocolate middle shine! But before the crack of the shell, I love to just enjoy that subtle sweetness of your shell – not a flavor really, just a sweetness. I love finding one of you tucked into the corner of the bag when I thought I’d eaten you all. I love always eating a blue you first. Even though you all taste the same, the blue reminds me of robin’s eggs, and I also love robins! (I don’t eat them though. Pinkie swear!)

I just wanted to write you this note, Mini Cadbury Eggs, to let you know the world isn’t absent-mindedly buying you. You are not an impulse purchase. You are not a take-it-or-leave-it candy. You are special, delicious and treasured. You spring onto the scene like Spring herself, bringing memories of so many Easters before in your arrival. For me and many others, you are *the* Easter candy. You have some excellent company for sure – there’s no denying the delight of jelly beans, Reese’s peanut butter eggs, Marshmallow Peeps and much more! But despite how much I love all those candies, you’re this lady’s favorite. Despite how much I love them all, I love you more. ♥

Don’t worry, we aren’t about to suggest you forego that most favorite of all baskets ever!  (Sorry, clothes baskets, you never really stood a chance.) We just have a new idea for the Easter basket that will turn Easter morning into a marathon of sorts. While it is common for the Easter Bunny to hide Easter baskets before he hops along down the bunny trail, he usually hides them with all the jelly beans and Cadbury Crème Eggs artfully arranged inside, making for a presentation you just hate to destroy but have to! Just imagine how amazing it would feel to be able to dig into every delicious bite without destroying the Easter Bunny’s hard work. Our idea makes that possible.

Instead of holding Easter candy, your Easter baskets will hold folded slips of paper – candy clues. Much like a grand finale Easter egg hunt, your kiddos will have to find every sweet piece one by one. Except perhaps the jelly beans, as they’ll need some sugary fuel to start their hunt. Plus, hiding jelly beans one by one would take weeks! Think of all the clever hiding places that exist in your home – the places a basket won’t quite fit, but a single piece of candy will. The top drawer of the computer desk, inside a coffee mug, peeking out of your purse, the options are endless! Then grab a bag of Easter basket straw, and in each of these hiding places make a small nest with a piece of Easter candy perched on top. Make note of everywhere that something has been hidden, taking care not to hide anything where a pet might be able to find it. Then get ready to write your clues!

Your clues and hiding places can be straightforward and located just about anywhere, or you can have a little fun with clever placement, word play and special memories. For example, where better to hide the Zitner’s Butter Krak Eggs than in the butter keeper in the fridge? And right next to the Butter Krak eggs, all in a row, a dozen delectable Cadbury Crème Eggs in the egg keeper! Have an older child who always made sure that his rubber ducky was around for bath time when he was young? Our Vanilla Ducky is a perfect treat! And a great hiding spot would be sitting right on top of a towel in the linen closet. Peanut butter fan who would go to the ends of the Earth for just one bite? They’ll surely appreciate finding Reese’s Peanut Butter Eggs on top of the world – you know, the globe in the den! Coming up with creative locations and clues might not be as fun as actually eating the candy, but we think it comes in at a pretty close second. What unique location or clues might you offer for helping your family find their Easter baskets’ fill of candy? Please share in the comments!