Linh here. Growing up, May 1 was the day you laced up your tennis shoes, snuck over to your neighbor’s house and ran as fast as you could after leaving behind a paper cone basket full of treats.
The big picture: When I’ve talked about this tradition with friends, their eyebrows raised as they deemed it another one of those Iowa things.
- In an era of Ring doorbells and extra caution, I wondered if the tradition of May Day baskets is actually on its way out.
Yes, but: Jessie Todd, a Grimes mom and writer for Des Moines Mom , reassured me that May Day is still here — it may just look a little different for some families in 2025.
Zoom in: Todd, who grew up in a heavily Dutch town in Nebraska, has fond memories of the same traditions.
- But these days, she celebrates May Day a little differently. She primarily gives away pre-packaged snacks and has her kids sign the bags, so neighbors know who left the treats.
- Instead of running away, her kids linger to watch the joy people get from the little presents.
What they’re saying: “It helps me feel a little connected to the neighborhood,” Todd says. “Our neighbors are maybe not all culturally and religiously the same as us, but it’s something kind of unifying, and is really kind of a low expectation.”…