Easter baskets are awesome and we should all get one.

Sure, they are mostly for kids right now, what with the candy and coloring books, but imagine a world in which your loved one hands you a basket filled with cool power tools. Or your favorite art supplies. Or seven kinds of margarita mix.

Right? Right??

Shopping Siren plans to campaign on that slogan: “Easter baskets are awesome and we should all get one.” Campaigning for what remains to be seen, but in the meantime, baskets.

The thing is, a gift basket does not have to be an actual basket. For kids, yellow faux wicker is adorable, but what if you presented your girlfriend/boyfriend/best friend with all those margarita mixes in a giant margarita glass? Then we’re talking fun! We’re talking festive! We’re talking a very boozy Easter.

So maybe just five kinds of margarita mixes.

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For gift baskets with lower proof, consider these.

  • Dramm watering can, Paris Farmers Union, $17.99

Long-nozzle plastic watering cans in bright spring colors, including orange, yellow and blue. Fill with seeds for $1 or $2 per packet and a little 6-inch cow pot for 89 cents. Note: A cow pot does not, apparently, grow cows. So don’t bother asking which ones are for Guernseys.

  • Red pail, 8 quarts, Paris Farmers Union, $5.95

The perfect nonbasket gift basket for your favorite person. Fill with car wash supplies, horse care items or house cleaning necessities. (OK, not house cleaning necessities. Do not do that.) If you have a budding home renovator in your life, I like the idea of stuffing the pail with paint brushes ($2.49 and up), foam roller refills ($3.65) and a quart of paint ($21.99). And if you happen to mention my living room could use a little touching up, I won’t be upset.

  • Perky Pet red sparkle lantern bird feeder, Paris Farmers Union, $27.79

Shiny red feeder with multiple perches and the ability to hold 3 pounds of seed. For a gift, toss in a small bag of birdseed, sure, but also maybe add a Droll Yankees warning web window sticky for $10.29 and a Droll Yankees bird identification mini guide for $4.39. So your loved one can feed the birds, prevent them from flying into the window and figure out which feathered friends are flying around the yard, all at the same time. Step one of giving this gift: Make sure they aren’t afraid of birds.

  • Dog crock, Paris Farmers Union, $12.39

A 7½-inch ceramic dog bowl painted tan on the outside and blue on the inside. Solid, classic and a great gift for any dog lover. Add a four-pack of Chuckit! orange tennis balls for $6.29, a Kong Extreme for $11.99 and box of Three Dog Bakery cookies for $6.79. You know what? Just give it to your friend’s dog. A true friend will understand.

  • Mr. Coffee whistling tea kettle, Bed Bath & Beyond, $39.99

Red kettle guaranteed to brighten up any kitchen. Fill with a selection of tea bags, wrap it in ribbon and top it with a bow and, voila! A caffeinated Easter morning is a happy Easter morning.

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  • Storage caddy, Bed Bath & Beyond, $24.99

A few feet tall, white, with three boxes for storage, this caddy is great for both gift-giving and using. Fill with a head massager and back-scratcher set for $7.99, ultra plush memory foam slippers for $9.99 and a relaxing hot/cold sinus mask $12.99. All the pampering, none of the clutter.

  • The North Face fleece beanie, Olympia Sports, $35

Supersoft winter hats in gray, mauve or black. Toss in a pair of The North Face Denali thermal gloves on sale for $24.98 for a complete post-winter, presummer Easter gift. Spring in Maine is still very firmly hat and glove season.

Best find: Red Sox hat, Olympia Sports, $25

Olympia has a ton of adjustable baseball caps to choose from, including green with a pink B, the standard red, white and blue, and a trucker hat with mesh backing. Use the hat as a gift basket and add a Red Sox key chain on sale for $2.98 and a Red Sox wallet for $6.98. Then spend Easter afternoon together watching the Sox beat the Tampa Bay Rays — the team’s gift to us all.

Think twice: About skipping the traditional chocolate bunny

Ella’s Chocolates in Lewiston has them for $2.75 to $9, depending on size. One is never too old for a chocolate bunny.

Shopping Siren’s true identity is protected by a pair of stylish, sweater-wearing Doberman pinschers (who will always come running for cookies) and the Customer Service counter at the Sun Journal. You can reach her at shoppingsiren@sunjournal.com.

Chocolate rabbits from Ella’s Chocolates in Lewiston. No Easter basket is complete without candy bunnies, no matter how old you are.


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