Karen Wils photo The Rose kids on Easter.

ESCANABA — An old Easter basket sits in storage in the basement.

Soon, it will be plucked out of the darkness and be transferred to the brightest spot in the house.

The basket is made of woven wood. A thin band of green color runs through the warp and weft. Even though it is a little bit faded, it still overflows with the wonderful essence of Easter.

The little basket is circa 1960. Tons of other households, who also had dozens of kids back then, had baskets just like mine.

But what is special about the old thing is the unique Easter joy that sprung out of it over the decades.

My mother’s hands lovingly touched it many times. With the help of the Easter Bunny she filled that basket year after year. In fact she had five other just like it, one for each of my siblings.

Everybody’s favorite treats found their way into each basket. Marshmallow Peeps for Mark, fudge egg with no nuts for Mike, dark chocolate with maple fudge for me, jelly beans, malted milk eggs and Cadbury eggs were some of the popular items. Even snacks like beef jerky, smoked almonds and fancy popcorn filled the basket.

Treasures like jump ropes, Avon perfume pins, ruffled ankle socks and sidewalk chalk stuffed the basket too.

The six little Easter baskets were recycled at my childhood home way before recycling was cool. Yes, that simple basket has seen a lot of family history.

It spills over with memories like the year I had a new baby sister, Lori, at my house, or the year we had to wait until my college age brother returned, or the year Mom quit smoking, cold turkey on Palm Sunday. How about the year we took “Easter” out to Mom at Christian Park, or the year my own baby son got a squeaky toy duck in that wondrous, old, recycled basket.

Top priorities are etched into the grain of the basket. Faith came first from little hands still sprinkled in Holy water and incense from church. Hymns like “Jesus Christ is Risen Today” were sung before candy time.

Family was gift. That old basket witnessed the wonders of an awesome extended family through countless Easter celebrations with family and friends.

My mother had lost both of her parents by the age of seventeen. Together with her older siblings she raised her six younger brother and sisters. To them Easter was a wonderful time for a new pair of shoes, Sunday best clothes and great meal.

They kept alive my late grandfather’s Russian tradition of having Easter egg tapping contests. I wonder how many pounds of baked ham and beans and hard boiled eggs left odors to be absorbed by the basket over the years?

How much vinegar, food color, pickled eggs, mustard and Easter sausage stained the basket when it got too close to the fun?

The little old, faded Easter basket has heard it all from baby’s first words, teenage laughter, sweet hearts whispers, parent’s prayers and grandpa’s snoring.

And it’s ready again to be filled with love, because that is what Easter is all about.

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Karen (Rose) Wils is a lifelong north Escanaba resident. Her folksy columns appear weekly in Lifestyles.