The 2015 White House Heirloom Easter Egg

THE 2015 WHITE HOUSE ANNUAL GOLD FINISHED EASTER EGG is jewel-like at its crown, 24KT gold finish flowing with elegant purples based on classic Easter motifs, a touch of the Old World with intricate details, the White House North Portico in subtle white enamel (on-center) with "White House Easter, 2015" encircling, 3" tall, and stands alone on its articulated pedestal or elegantly displays from your Christmas, Holiday, or Easter tree with a gold cord.

Christmas celebrates the birth of Christ and Easter is the oldest holy day (holiday) of the Christian Faith, and in the Western Church Easter is held between March 21 and April 25, on the first Sunday after the first full moon following the northern spring equinox.

Beautifully and meticulously handmade in the USA by American artisans based on design by Giannini, the 2015 White House gold Easter egg is set in an elegant two-piece gift box, gold , with the White House Gift Shop, Est. 1946 official seal. Made of premium brass with complete 24KT finishing and baked enamels, your heirloom is specially treated for timeless quality.

Each year, we add a new Easter egg to the White House Heirloom Collection.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE WHITE HOUSE EASTER EGG ROLL

The original site of the Easter Monday Egg Roll was the grounds of the United States Capitol. By the mid-1870s, the egg rolling activities on the West Terraces had gained notoriety as the children turned the Capitol grounds into their Easter Monday playground. The first egg rolls, largely family affairs, seem to have been held during the administration of President Andrew Johnson. Youngsters of the President's family dyed eggs on Sunday for the Monday rolling, which the First Lady would watch from the South Portico. The workers and tourists watched in fascination as the children rolled both their hard boiled eggs and themselves down the lush green hills.

The egg roll activity of 1876 took its toll on the grounds, a fact that did not go unnoticed by members of Congress. With an already inadequate budget to complete the landscaping and maintenance of the grounds, Congress passed a law forbidding the Capitol grounds to be used as a children's playground. The law was to be enforced in 1877. But that Easter Monday rain poured down, canceling any outdoor activities sending the egg rollers indoors to play.

On Easter Saturday of 1878, a small announcement in the local press informed the egg rollers the new law would be enforced. President Rutherford B. Hayes, taking his daily walk, was approached by a number of young egg rollers who inquired about the possibilities of egg rolling on the South Lawn of the White House. President Hayes, upon his return to the White House, issued an official order that should any children arrive to egg roll on Easter Monday, they were to be allowed to do so. That Monday, as children were being turned away from the Capitol grounds, word quickly spread to go to the White House!

President Hayes and his wife, Lucy, officially opened the White House grounds to the children of the area for egg rolling that Easter Monday. Successive Presidents continued the tradition, and the event has been held on the South Lawn ever since.