A rite of spring for us as children was celebrating May Day, which is May 1. Our mom would help us make little baskets from strawberry crates and pipe cleaners, or we would wrap paper into a cone with a pipe cleaner handle. We would then fill our little baskets with candy and deliver them to our friends in the neighborhood. The objective was to drop them off and ring the doorbell without being seen, scampering away to hide around the edge of the house so our friends would have to come out and try to catch us. It was great fun. I am unsure of the origins of this holiday and know that many people have not heard of it, although I believe May 1 in Victorian England was a day to go into the forest and gather baskets of flowers.
This May Day, since I am home once again, I decided to make May Day baskets for a few friends and family, including some that I swapped baskets with as a child! It's a small gesture, but a fun one that is full of memories. There is a blizzard warning in effect, though, and I am watching over a pot of lentil soup that my sister started last night. Not exactly May Day weather!
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