Hoppin' down the Elmo trail

Sometime in the past few years, while I wasn't paying attention, Easter baskets seem to have undergone a sea change. When I was a child (back when dinosaurs roamed the Earth), the modest Easter baskets we received consisted of, well, a basket, woven of chipboard and stuffed with some green fake grass sporting a bunch of jelly beans, maybe a plastic egg or two (filled with more jelly beans), and the obligatory cellophane-wrapped chocolate rabbit. How quaint, says the child of today, no doubt.

Today the store fliers are filled with a panoply of vaguely Easter-themed products to rival the offerings seen at Christmas (albeit for a shorter time span). One discount chain displays a line of "baskets" in such bizarre shapes as a soccer ball, a pink tutu, Elmo's head (see above), and what looks like a camouflage tote bin. Presumably they hope you will fill them with some of the advertised "toys for Easter giving" that include a Hannah Montana doll and a NERF N-Strike Recon CS-6 blaster (batteries sold separately). No doubt the latter would pair well with the camo tote bin.

Another major retailer touts the "over 100 filled baskets" you can choose from, including this charming ensemble with an 18-inch fire engine for its centerpiece. At least it's actually a more or less traditional basket, which is more than you can say for the miniature wagon laden with a porcelain Mini Dining Set, a Starlet Collection Beauty Set, a large plush rabbit, and, oh yes, a handful of candy and a package of marshmallow Peeps bunnies.

Give me a good old-fashioned Easter basket any day. No Easter basket is worthy of the name unless it has, as its centerpiece, a chocolate rabbit to bite the ears off of.