The History of Christmas Trees

(from www.whyChristmas.com )

The evergreen tree has been used to celebrate winter festivals (pagan and Christian) for thousands of years.  Pagans used branches to decorate their homes during the winter solstice as it made them think of the spring to come.  The Romans used Fir Trees to decorate their temples at the festival of Saturnalia.  Christians use them as a sign of everlasting life with God.

Nobody is really sure when evergreen trees were first used as Christmas trees.  It probably started about 1000 years ago in Germany.  One story told is that Saint Boniface of Crediton (a place in Devon, UK) left England and traveled to Germany to preach to the pagan German tribes and convert them to Christianity.  He is said to have come across a group of pagans about to sacrifice a young boy while worshiping an oak tree.  In anger, and to stop the sacrifice, Saint Boniface is said to have cut down the oak tree, and to his amazement, a young fir tree sprang up from the roots of the oak tree.  Saint Boniface took this as a sign of the Christian faith, and his followers decorated the tree with candles so that Saint Boniface could preach to the pagans at night.

The first person to bring a Christmas tree into a house may have been the 16^th century German preacher, Martin Luther.  A story is told that one night before Christmas, he was walking through the forest and looked up to see the stars shining though the tree branches.  It was such a beautiful sight that he went home and told his children that it reminded him of Jesus, who left the stars of Heaven to come to Earth at Christmas.  He then brought a tree into their home and decorated it with candles.

There is another legend, again from Germany, about how the Christmas tree came into being:

Once on a cold Christmas Eve night, a forester and his family were in their cottage, gathered round the fire to keep warm.  Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.  When the forester opened the door, he found a poor little boy standing on the step, lost and alone.  The forester welcomed him into his house, and the family fed and washed him, then put him to bed in the youngest son’s own bed (he had to share with his brother that night).  The next morning, Christmas Morning, the family was woken up by a choir of Angels, and the poor little boy had turned into Jesus, the Christ Child.  The Christ Child went into the front garden of the cottage and broke a branch off a Fir tree, then gave it to the family as a present, a thank you for looking after him.  Ever since then, people have remembered that night by bringing a Christmas tree into their homes!

Christmas trees also may have started as the Paradise Trees that represented the Garden of Eden in the German Mystery Plays that took place during the Middle Ages.  These plays told Bible stories to people who could not read. 

In Germany, the first Christmas trees were decorated with edible things, such as gingerbread and gold covered apples,  then glass makers made special small ornaments, similar to some of the decorations used today.  At first, a figure of the Baby Jesus was put on the top of the tree.  Over time, it changed to an Angel that told the shepherds about Jesus, or a star like the Wise Men saw. 

The first Christmas tree came to England in 1841, when Prince Albert (Queen Victoria’s German husband) had a Christmas tree set up in Windsor Castle.  Ever since then, the Christmas tree became fashionable and a treasured tradition of a British Christmas.  

In Victorian times, the Christmas tree would have been decorated with candles to represent stars.  Because of the danger of fire, Ralph Morris, an American telephonist, invented the electric Christmas lights in 1895, similar to the ones we use today.  The actual idea of electric lights for Christmas trees is said to have come from an assistant of Thomas Edison, Mr. Edward Johnson, in 1882.  But again, they were not mass marketed until the 1890.

Many towns and villages have their own Christmas trees.  In many countries, different trees are used as Christmas trees.  In New Zealand, a tree called the “Pohutakawa”, that has red flowers on it, is used; and in India, Banana or Mango trees are sometimes decorated.  One of the most famous is the tree in Trafalgar Square in London, England, which is given to the UK by Norway every year as a thank you present for the help the UK gave Norway in World War II. 

In 1856, President Franklin Pierce set up a Christmas tree inside the White House for a group of young Sunday School children, but not until 1923 did Calvin Coolidge light the first National Christmas Tree on the White House lawn (a Norway Spruce).  The US White House has had a big tree on the front lawn ever since.

Visit www.whyChristmas.com for LOTS more interesting facts about holiday traditions AND some other fun links to Christmas websites! 
It’s one of my favorite!!!!

More Christmas Tree Fun Facts

 ·        98% of all Christmas trees are grown of small farms, located in all 50 states.  More than 1,000,000 acres of land have been planted with Christmas trees!

·        77 million Christmas trees are planted each year.  Two to four seedlings are usually planted for every harvested Christmas tree.

·        Christmas trees take from 6 to 14 years to mature for harvest.

·        An acre of Christmas trees provides the daily oxygen requirements of 18 people.

·        Growing Christmas trees provide valuable habitat for wildlife.

·        You should never burn your Christmas tree in the fireplace, as it can contribute to creosote buildup.  Check with your local landfill about after Christmas recycling programs.  Many offer free collection and turn trees into mulch for gardening! 

·        In 1963, the National Christmas Tree was not lighted until December 2nd because of the national 30-day period of mourning following the assassination of President Kennedy.

·        In 1979, the National Christmas Tree was not lighted except for the top ornament in honor of the American hostages in Iran.

·        In 1984, the National Christmas tree was lit on December 13th with temperatures in the 70’s, making it one of the warmest tree lightings in history.

·        A popular Christmas tree decoration was once banned by the government.  Tinsel contained lead at one time, now it is made of plastic.  (Read the “Fake vs. Real” page on this website for more information of the dangers of lead in artificial trees).