May Day is coming soon.  Do you celebrate this holiday each year?  This is a time to celebrate spring and to look forward to the warmer months of summer.  It’s also a great time to surprise your friends with a May Day gift.

May Day festivities are a part of many cultures.  Parades, may poles, bonfires and dancing are ways people celebrate world wide.  In the US, May Day celebrations often involve giving flower filled baskets.  Whether you embrace May Day as a full-fledged holiday or you just want to acknowledge that spring is finally here, we can use it as an excuse to treat our friends.  Who doesn’t like to find something on their front porch or door knob.  Here are some simple gift ideas that you can use to give your friends and neighbors.

Ideas for May Day Baskets

• Cleaned up tin cans can be painted, wrapped in decorative paper or just tied up with ribbons.
• Mason jars are perfect for stashing a baked treat or two.
• Cover small cardboard boxes with decorative craft paper.
• Terracotta pots, plain or painted make a great gift container.
• Small baskets can hold all sorts of gift items.
• Paper bags either decorated or plain can be filled with treats.
• A vintage container such as a recipe box or cookie container can hold a number of items.
• Buckets can be filled with plants.
• An apron with the pocket exposed offers a place to put a little bouquet or treat.
• Decoupaged peat pots are easy to make.
• A decorated paper cone.

3 Tips for Gift Giving

Keep It Simple

May Day gifts should not be overwhelming for you to create.  Choose a simple item or two to include in your basket.  Especially if you are giving many away.

Plan Ahead

Don’t wait until the night before to decide to give May Day baskets.  You want to plan in advance so that you can get your supplies together.  And if you are leaving the gift as a doorstep surprise then you want to get an early start.

Include A Thoughtful Note or Tag

Even if your surprise is anonymous, include a small note about why you left the treat on their door.  A few kind words can really perk up their day.  At the very least include a tag that says “Happy May Day” or “Yeah For Spring” or some other spring-time sentiment.

You might be wondering what you can give in your little May Day basket.  Here are some simple gift ideas that don’t cost a lot of money.

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Things to Put in Your May Day Basket

• Garden tools
• Garden gloves
• Small potted plants or starts
• Seed packets
• Garden decor items
• Garden flag
• Plant labels or stakes
• Spring or garden themed paper plates and napkins
• Dish towel
• Chocolates
• Small packages of wrapped treats such as cookies, popcorn or candy
• Homemade goodies (Tip:  Only give homemade goodies to close friends and family.  And if you leave a homemade item please do tell them who left the gift.  With the concern for food allergies and intolerances people need to know what is in the food item.  Otherwise your food may be thrown away.)

• Packets of tea or coffee
• Bottled beverages
• Fresh flowers which are the perfect May Day gift.

Great places to find inexpensive items would include the Dollar Store, the Dollar Section at Target, thrift stores for flower containers, Garden Centers and the clearance isles of many stores.

Here are a few examples of May Day gifts that I put together

1. Plant Markers in a Flower Bucket.
2. Garden Organizer with some gloves and tools.  This little box contains cards for keeping track of what is growing in the garden.
3. Seasonal paper plates and napkins.  These have a flower and bunny motif which I purchased after Easter.
4. A wire basket filled with a seasonal kitchen towel, plates, napkins, chocolates and other treats.  I liked the little pom pom edge of the towel.
5. Garden Tool Sets.  This is a gift all rolled into one.
6. A little wicker basket from my own stash that I bought a few years ago.  I bought the tiny clip board note tablet at Michaels.  It would be perfect to keep handy in a car.
7. The Daffodils make my heart sing.  The “vase” is actually a candle holder that I purchased for 50% off and then I filled it with some spring flowers.  Very simple but will make your friends smile.
8. Finally, I filled those little Decorative Paper bags with No Bake Chocolate Cookies.  You can use my recipe or find a favorite cookie recipe of your own.  You can find information about the cookie recipe below.

Whether you are an avid celebrator of May Day or not, spring is a good time to treat your friends to a little surprise.  Many of these suggestions can be used for gift giving all year long as well.  I hope this gives you some great ideas for creating your own May Day gifts for your friends.

You can get the recipe for my No Bake Chocolate Cookies by signing up for my email in the link below.  These cookies are so easy to make and they are delicious.  In fact they are my husband’s all time favorite cookie.