Celebrate Easter with Lindt {Hoppy Easter Basket Review & Giveaway}

{This giveaway is now closed. Congratulations, Deb K!}

While there will always be conflicting opinions about Easter and how one family might celebrate it differently than another, isn't it important that we set aside our differences in the name of something we can all agree on?

I'm talking about chocolate here, people.

There's nothing wrong with the jellybeans and the marshmallow chicks and the gummy bears, but let's face it. What matters most is the chocolate.

And although it's easy to walk into any drugstore and pull the first chocolate bunny you see off of the shelf, I always find that to be a little risky because I never know how good it is going to taste. Who wants to pick up a sweet treat for themselves or as a gift and have it end up not tasting all that good?

Instead, on the opposite end of the spectrum, I always know that I can turn to the brand of chocolate that is in a category all its own when it comes to being delicious: Lindt.

First created in 1845 when a father and son manufactured solid chocolate in their small confectionery, Lindt's entrepreneurial spirit and passion for making chocolate is still strong today. In the past 160+ years, it has become known as one of the most innovative and creative companies making premium chocolate, with six production sites in Europe, two in the USA and distribution and sales companies on four continents.

This year marks the 60th birthday of the LINDT GOLD BUNNY and to celebrate, Lindt is doing much more than simply offering this iconic product for Easter baskets everywhere. While customers are still able to shop this wide collection of bunnies - ranging from mini 10g bunnies to life-size 1kg bunnies in milk, dark and white chocolate - LINDT GOLD BUNNY is also giving back.

That's right, this single bunny is helping make a difference, as this year Lindt has teamed up with Autism Speaks yet again and will donate 10¢ of their proceeds for each bunny sold in the U.S. in 2012.

What's more, Lindt is also donating up to $25 to Autism Speaks for every #Pin4Autism pin on Pinterest through Easter. To participate, simply visit Lindt’s #Pin4Autism board on Pinterest and select and re-pin the Easter tradition photo that you enjoy most. For each #Pin4Autism pin, $1 will be donated to Autism Speaks, per re-pin. While pin donations are limited to one per person, you can maximize your impact by inviting friends and family to get involved.

If you feel like you want to do even more to help, go ahead and recreate one of the Lindt inspired projects or create your very own Lindt Easter project pin, whether it's a recipe, craft, etc., that incorporates Lindt products from their Pinterest page. Then simply email Lindt and include the image or link to your creation, along with the subject line: #Pin4Autism Donation and Lindt will donate $25 to the cause for your efforts.

What amazing ways to support autism awareness this season! There are even more ways to get involved, so be sure to visit LINDT GOLD BUNNY and find out how you can help.

As well as feeling good about your purchase, the only thing that could make Easter better would be to present your family or friends the gift that is the perfect size and contains a treat for every taste palate: the Lindt Hoppy Easter Basket.

Arriving well-packed and cool to prevent even a hint of melting, the Hoppy Easter Gift Basket contained just the right selection of items to make anyone's mouth water.

Mmmmm. Pulling each item out from the colorful basket, we found one 100g milk chocolate Lindt Gold Bunny, four Lindt Chocolate Carrots, two bags of Lindt Mini Eggs, and a large bag of assorted smooth-melting LINDOR Truffles eggs (in milk, white, dark and stracciatella).

As the perfect way to bring excitement, joy and a heartwarming smile to the Easter season, the Hoppy Easter Gift Basket was just enough premium Lindt chocolate and just enough spring style. From the cute basket to the decorative grass to the cheery striped ribbons, this is an all-around great idea for decorating a table or surprising your lucky recipient.

The hardest part about this basket is feeling guilty for pulling it all apart... but it must be done in order to fully enjoy all of Lindt's chocolate expertise and their delicious products. I love milk chocolate, my husband loves dark chocolate, and our daughters love any chocolate, so this definitely hit the spot for all of us!

Retailing for $55, this is a great way to surprise just about anyone on your list. Who knows? Maybe they'll appreciate it enough that they'll share a truffle egg with you!

This Easter and beyond, be sure to head to your nearest Lindt retail location and become the hit of the party when you give the tastiest gift. Featuring premium chocolate products to satisfy every need – large or small – the Lindt collection has something for everyone.

And, thanks to their generosity, one person will be prepared to celebrate a post-Easter mouth-watering surprise, because...

One lucky person will win a Lindt Hoppy Easter Basket!

To enter to win: Visit Lindt and tell me another of their delicious items that you would like to give or receive as a gift.

Extra Entries (available after the mandatory entry above is completed; please leave a separate comment for each entry in order for them to be counted).

1 Extra Entry (per method) if you follow Lindt on Twitter and/or Like them on Facebook.
1 Extra Entry (per giveaway entered) - Enter any (or all) of the giveaways running on Thanks, Mail Carrier for the duration of this giveaway.
1 Extra Entry if you follow me on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway by copying and pasting the tweet below and leaving me the link. Tweet daily for an extra entry every day!

YUM! I want to WIN a Lindt Hoppy Easter Basket (ARV $55), the tastiest holiday gift! http://bit.ly/GUbIDT @thxmailcarrier #giveaway #win

1 Extra Entry (per follow method) if you follow me with Google Friend Connect, subscribe to my RSS feed, subscribe to Thanks, Mail Carrier by email, become a fan on Facebook or add Thanks, Mail Carrier to your blogroll.
2 Extra Entries if you put my cute button up on your blog. Please leave an address where it can be found.
3 Extra Entries if you blog about this giveaway linking back to this post. Please leave an address where it can be found.

Giveaway will end on April 17th at 11:59pm CST. By entering this sweepstakes, you are agreeing to these official rules. No purchase necessary, void where prohibited by law. Do me the favor of leaving an email address or making absolutely sure it is visible in your profile, I have to have a way to contact the winner. The winner will be chosen by random.org and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to contact me or respond to notification or a new winner will be chosen. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. This giveaway is open to residents of the U.S. only and must be 18 years of age or older.

A big thank you to Lindt for providing a Hoppy Easter Basket for me to review as well as for one lucky giveaway winner. The opinions shared are my own and honest and if you really need to see more, click here to see how I roll.