May Day is sweet and charming and mischievous and light and fun! It is celebrated on the first day of May. Do you live in a community that carries on the May Day tradition? If not, you can get it started! May Day is a labor holiday in many places (it has shared a date with International Workers’ Day since the 1880s), but the May Day of flowers and Maypoles is an ancient pagan northern hemisphere festival that celebrates spring. (Don’t worry, you don’t need to do the Maypole dance!) And what is a spring celebration without flowers? One of the most popular ways to gift some flowers is with a May basket paper cone.
My friend Chardel of Flying Goat Studio once lived in a Midwestern community that was big on May Day. Really big. She had no idea that it was so popular anywhere. The morning of their first May 1, the doorbell rang, and when they opened it, an anonymous little handmade basket of flowers was on their porch, but no sign of the giver. Then the doorbell rang again. More flowers. And again. Then again. So, welcome to the neighborhood – what a fun icebreaker! How can you not smile at such kindness? So she’s been a fan of May Day ever since.
May Day baskets are usually handmade, and can be as simple as a sheet of paper rolled into a cone to hold flowers, candy or trinkets. To deliver a May basket, it’s very important to wear your track shoes because you ring the bell, then RUN! The point is to leave the gift without getting caught so the recipient has to wonder who did it. Sometimes, it’s someone you would never expect – a kid down the street, a Scout troop, a neighbor you have not yet met, a person with a twinkle in the eye who picked your house at random….
In reminiscing about May Day baskets, I’ve found some fun and creative ideas for making these special, anonymous gifts. Make some small baskets to deliver to special people. You’ll smile. Guaranteed.
What do you put in May Day baskets?
Traditionally, May Day baskets were filled with beautiful spring flowers. Today, you can put anything into a basket!
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- Deliver some handmade cookies in a box and draw a flower on the top of the box
- Tuck some little treats into a little basket for your neighbors
- Make lollipop flowers to put in a basket.
- Involve your children (or grandchildren). This is a fun activity to share acts of kindness.
- Fill with wrapped hard candy for a colorful surprise!
- Bake a loaf of homemade bread and tie a flower on top of the wrapped loaf with a cheerful ribbon
- Select some colorful wrapped candies and put in a colorful bag tied with a single fresh flower
- Purchased a blooming potted plant to leave on their doorstep
- Seed pots of beautiful flowers in a little basket make a great surprise
- For a neighborhood child, consider filling with sidewalk chalk.
- No time to make your own? Visit your local dollar store and you’ll find all kinds of mason jars, cute baskets, and other containers perfect for gifting flowers or other small gifts.
- Make your own baskets from construction paper for this fun tradition.
Most of all, have fun surprising and delighting someone with fresh flowers (plus something you know they might love).
How to Make a May Day Basket Paper Cone
Delight someone special with some fresh flowers from your garden (or store bought) on May 1st. An easy way to deliver them is in a traditional May Day Basket Paper Cone.
The cone shape little basket is perfect for a small bouquet of flowers.
Celebrated on May 1st, it is a celebration of flowers as most gardens in the northern hemisphere are becoming full of color by May. Make someone's day special with a gift of fresh flowers.
This cone-shaped May basket has a ribbon handle - and is a super easy diy project.
Materials
- 12" x 12" piece of paper, or a piece of construction paper
- 24" piece of ribbon
- Fresh flowers
- Clear tape or double sided sticky tape
Tools
- Hole punch
- Paper scissors
Instructions
- To make the paper cones, start with a square piece of paper. I bought a pretty one at the local craft store that was made for scrapbooking. Cut off the edge of the paper with the information about it.
- To make it prettier, scallop cut two adjacent edges of the square. You can either use scallop edge scissors or freehand cut the edge. I freehand cut the wavy edge with paper scissors.
- Roll the straight edges together to form a cone, and tape the edges closed. You can use clear tape on the outside or double sided sticky tape between the paper layers.
- Using a hole punch, punch holes around the top edge of the cone.
- Cut a piece of ribbon that will be long enough to weave through the holes in the cone, then tie a nice bow to be able to hang the flowers from a door handle. I cut my ribbon about 24" long.
- Starting at the top of the cone, weave the ribbon in and out of the holes. You'll want the long pieces at the top of the cone to tie a bow.
- Cut some flowers from your garden, fill your May Day paper cone basket and surprise someone with flowers!
Notes
You can cut a 12-inch square of paper from heavy weight wrapping paper or a paper bag!
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How to Make a May Day Basket from a Tin Can
Looking for a quick and easy way to leave flowers with a bit of water so they don’t wilt? Use a tin can!
You need to have an empty tin can. I spray-painted it with a lovely deep pink and then added a coat of sparkly pink on the outside to make it shiny and happy. I used a metal punch to punch two holes on opposite sides to thread the ribbon through.
Take your ribbon and tie a big knot on the inside. Make sure the knot is big enough that it won’t slip through the hole.
Tie the ribbon through the other side. Tie the ends into a nice bow.
Add your flowers and make someone’s day by leaving some May Day flowers on their door! Take this old tradition and make it yours with a celebration of spring and flower baskets! Have a happy May Day!
More tips and ideas for May Day baskets
Yes, April showers do bring May flowers! Celebrate the arrival of spring with this popular tradition!
It’s a great way to recognize a friend or someone who gives to their community. Surprise them with some flowers!
Make homemade flowers from crepe paper. Tie them into a bouquet and hang them from the door knob.
Simple May Day baskets can be as easy as placing a few flowers in an old jar to leave on a doorstep.
Cut the top off of a paper milk carton and fill with flowers.
Love flowers in a basket? Try our flower basket quilt block!
