Easter Egg Decorating! The history, family traditions and collectibles.

 

Beautiful hand-painted eggs, along with other Easter knick-knacks, add color & charm to holiday decor.

Easter Egg Decorating!

Easter weekend, for many of us, brings back memories of boiling a dozen or more fresh eggs in a large dutch oven, filling coffee cups full of water and food coloring and setting aside wax crayons and wire ladles in preparation of some hardboiled decorating. As a kid, I remember this as one of the highlights of the holiday and continued the tradition of not only dunking eggs - but hunting for them, too - with our own children.

As our kids got older, I took to decorating a few myself.

Although, I no longer dip and dunk with eggs at Easter, I still decorate with them. Eggs are popular accent pieces this time of year, and while most of us have at least a vague understanding of their connection with the holiday, I thought I'd dig a little further.  

A 2025 article in The Pioneer Woman explained the tradition of Easter eggs.

The connection has its roots in both Christian and pre-Christian customs. In many ancient cultures, eggs symbolized new life and fertility, representing the arrival of spring. Early Christians adopted this symbolism.

During Lent, a period of fasting before Easter, eggs were historically not to be eaten, so they were often hard-boiled and stored for later consumption.

Over time, this tradition evolved, leading to modern Easter egg hunts, and the decorated Easter eggs we use today.

The Easter kids table before the hunt.

Annual egg hunt & kite flying when the kids were young & we weren't grey.

That being said, I don't put all my decorative eggs in one basket. For the holiday, I have them spread throughout the house in various displays, starting with a hand-painted assortment for my tablescape centerpiece.

Last year, I was gifted delightful dozen of floral faux eggs from my talented friend, Carol D. She painted tiny flowers on each and they add a bit of color and a lot of charm to the table. 

While much of my collection is seasonal, there are some that are on display all year, including marble eggs in antique silver cups and two tiny Halcyon Days special edition eggs. The former, my husband, Chris, bought fifty years ago in a vintage shop while touring England as a teen. The latter, also from Chris, were birthday presents to me roughly twenty years ago. Those, too, have a history in England.

Ruby Faberge Egg flanked by two Halcyon Days enameled eggs.

Per their website, Halcyon Days was founded in 1950 as an emporium of antique gifts in Mayfair, London. The art of enameling on copper had nearly vanished when Halcyon Days set out to revive this artisan craft, breathing new life into a centuries-old tradition. By 1970, the company had established its own production facility, laying the foundation for the expansion of its offerings. Still operating, last year it celebrated 75 years in business. 

These lilliputian eggs are constructed with two halves - hinged or twist tops. Latest limited edition Easter egg is $455 - perhaps, a bit too eggs-travagant? (oh, come on, you knew I'd throw in at least one awful egg pun 😉). 

Matilda lays no golden eggs, but adorably contributes to the holiday decor.

Then there's the adorable porch goose who lays no golden eggs, but still contributes to the seasonal decor.  Matilda greets guests this weekend in her bunny garb.

Whether you are celebrating the season with eggs that are real or faux, edible or decorative or a combination of both, we wish you all a happy holiday!

For more Easter decor, including some festive napkin folding instructions (bunnies, roses) check out our blog: Polished Holiday Tablescapes - Creative Napkins and Shining Silver.