Nothing Rhymes with Cabinet

April 17, 2025

Everyone loves a good treasure hunt. Kids do, obviously; but let’s be honest: Adults love them, too. Why else do we grownups keep buying scratch-off tickets and wandering around beaches with metal detectors? There’s something universally thrilling about uncovering a hidden delight.

Soon after my oldest learned to read, my husband and I decided to supercharge our annual Easter festivities: We didn’t just hide eggs, we created a full-blown narrative adventure in which Santa’s Elves, moonlighting in the off-season, teamed up with the Easter Bunny to scatter a trail of rhyming clues all over our house and yard. We’d hand the girls an egg with the first riddle; they’d crack it open, puzzle it out, and tear off shrieking like tiny, sugar-fueled detectives. By the time they found their baskets, they’d exercised their brains, burned off a few jellybeans, and felt victorious.

Of course, this set the bar dangerously high. The next year required a whole new set of clues, leading to different places... and I found myself late at night trying to rhyme “fridge” with “smidge,” and “cushion” with... “pushin’.” (Don’t judge.) And “cabinet”? Nothing rhymes with cabinet. I used to wish someone would just create a web page with pre-written rhyming clues—and now, someone has!

My new article, Turn Easter into a Treasure Hunt! is packed with instructions and 25+ ready-to-go rhyming riddles, plus a printable PDF. Just cut the clues apart, tuck them into plastic eggs, scatter them along a trail on Saturday night, and boom: You’re an Easter legend by sunrise. And here's the best part: it doesn’t have to be Easter. Birthday? Treasure hunt. Rainy Saturday? Treasure hunt. Christmas morning? Merriness everywhere. Talk Like a Pirate Day? Matey, you know it. Just print, cut, hide, and let the fun begin. 

Even if there’s no pot of gold at the final clue, you’ve still conjured an adventure out of thin air. There really is treasure everywhere—because we make it so.

—Deb