Ever since I was a little girl, May Day has been one of my favorite holidays. I loved creating the little baskets and ding dong ditching our neighbors as we left the goodies on their front stoops. I thought this would be a good year for us to start doing May Day baskets with the kids since Jane is 5 and Walt is nearly 4. First, we assembled our baskets:
The “basket” was a plastic cup. I attached the pipe cleaner handles by cutting two holes into the cup with my hole punch.
We wanted the baskets to have a touch of spring, so we added some paper flowers. We used a big hole punch that we previously used for cupcake toppers, and Walt glued ’em on with his gluestick. Jane helped me cut out and glue paper tulips the next day. Then, we added the candy. I finished the baskets off by attaching the handles and sticking on a little label.
To me, May Day epitomizes the beauty of the “little way” of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, so I included a little quote from her on the labels. (A big THANK YOU to Philip for helping with this step! He even included a pretty rose on the label for the saint also known as “The Little Flower.” What a guy!)
Our family’s St. Thérèse was due in May, so I think of her every year around this time. She would have been 2 this May. Instead, we continue to pray to her in heaven and are so blessed by “Happy Happy” who will be turning 2 in August. St. Thérèse, pray for us!
I loaded the baskets into the minivan trunk the night before. I thought, “Maybe I got a little carried away.” Then, I realized that most of the families we were delivering to in our neighborhood had multiple children, so we went through those baskets in less than an hour! I was glad we had made so many.
The best part: The drop (and sometimes getting caught!)
We have one of the captain seats in the minivan removed, so I drove slowly alongside the curb with the baskets on the van floor. Jane and Walt ran back and forth from the van with the baskets to our neighbors’ front stoops. Harry is looking forward to next year when he can keep up with the big kids. For the most part, he was content to be inside the dry van with me since it was sprinkling outside. By the end of their hour of not-so-stealthy deliveries, they were exhausted, so we headed home for naps. Even Mama took one!
Look what was on our front stoop when we woke up! The kids were SOOOOOOOOOO excited!!!
Walt, checking out the May Day loot. He agrees with Mama. May Day is simply the best! What’s not to love about doing something little to bring joy to your neighbor’s lives?
