How to crack Easter style
Wreaths, trees and bunny-shaped baubles. You thought Christmas was OTT? Now, it’s got a seasonal rival, says Talib Choudhry
Not so very long ago, decorating for Easter meant painting a few hard-boiled eggs and putting some cheery spring flowers in vases. But just as Christmas has become ever more lavish in inverse proportion to the numbers of people attending church, Easter has also become a grander affair, with bedecked halls and gifts. For retailers, at least, Easter decoration has become as lavish as Christmas and shops are filled with seasonal products.
At Marks & Spencer, ever a bellwether for British buying habits, shoppers can pick up colourful nests and Easter wreaths, while John Lewis has Easter trees and vibrant baubles to adorn them with. And it seems that we are indulging our homes at Easter like never before.
“Growth is incredible, year-onyear,” says Lisa Rutherford, seasonal events buyer at John Lewis, where Easter sales as a whole are up 23 per cent on last year. “People are really getting into Easter, with trees, decorative eggs and bunting. It’s a relatively inexpensive way to celebrate a special time of year.”
For the Easter table, the shops are awash with ceramics bearing seasonal motifs. Flowers, bunnies and eggs are natural favourites, and the core palette, as you might expect, is spring-like, with fresh yellows, greens and pinks. For those who prefer a more low-key look, decorations in muted colours and natural materials such as lime-washed wood and straw offer a more sophisticated take.
“Plan ahead by swotting up on Scandinavian and Russian customs, such as decorating eggs, which make a lovely centrepiece displayed on cake stands or in glass bowls,” suggests Clare Harris, managing director of the party decoration specialist Talking Tables. “Twigs of willow or birch hung with feathers and other small decorations are a very pretty Swedish tradition. I like to pair daffodils and tulips in jam jars with table linen in soft pastel shades.”
John Lewis launched its Easter trees in 2009, and decorations are the fastest growing area in terms of sales, with an uplift of 69 per cent this year.
Rutherford adds: “People who have Easter trees enjoy the ritual of decorating them. Our glass eggs have now become a collector’s item. We do different designs every year.”
The trees are designed for tabletop use, but Rutherford is considering stocking floor-standing trees next year, as “some people want to make a much bigger statement”.
Unsurprisingly, lavish Easter decorating is popular in the United States. Easter trees are not merely a US import, however; the centuriesold German tradition of decorating trees and bushes with Easter eggs, known as the Ostereierbaum, is also found in Austria, Ukraine, Poland, Hungary and Czech Republic.
Another tradition from eastern Europe is gaining popularity. Pajaki (translated as spiders of straw) are traditional Polish “chandeliers” made from rye straw and paper and symbolise health and happiness.
Although you probably haven’t got time to craft your own pajaki before Easter, Harris suggests that a few crafty touches can add to the atmosphere of an Easter egg hunt.
“Make little bunny paw prints out of card for the little ones to follow, and hand out paper bags or mini baskets for collecting the eggs,” she suggests. “But don’t put too much pressure on yourself. It’s more important to let the fun begin and just enjoy being together.”