History of Christmas Trees

By Karen McBride
Published in the Dunndeal Gazettes December, 2023

As we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, we enjoy the excitement of seeing family and friends, exchanging gifts, and of course decorating our homes with colorful lights, nativity scenes, and beautiful Christmas Trees. The fragrant smell of evergreens brings back happy childhood memories of early Christmas mornings drinking hot cocoa and unwrapping gifts.

Have you ever wondered where the tradition of the Christmas Tree first began? It was established across the globe before coming to America. Germany had a tradition of bringing trees into their homes on December 24, the religious feast day of Adam and Eve. They hung wafers on it symbolizing the Eucharistic host (the body of Christ) and candles representing Jesus Christ as the light of the World.

But it wasn’t until the 1800s that Americans began the tradition. German settlers in Pennsylvania brought the tradition to America. Many Americans were hesitant to follow suit, thinking it a Pagan ritual. William Bradford, the pilgrim’s second governor, and Oliver Cromwell preached against decorated trees, singing Christmas carols, and any other form of celebration during this holy time. In 1659, the General Court of Massachusetts even went so far as making a law against decorating your home, which continued until the 19th century.

However, it was a different story in Europe. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert were illustrated in the London News standing around a Christmas tree with their children. It immediately became fashionable and people across Europe began to follow the tradition.

As Americans warmed to the idea, they began by decorating their trees with homemade ornaments. Brightly colored popcorn was strung with berries and nuts to adorn the trees. People of German descent would also use apples, nuts, and marzipan cookies.

With the invention of electricity, Christmas lights replaced the dangerous practice of lit candles on a Christmas tree, and it also allowed trees to be set up in town squares. The most well-known of these is in Rockefeller Center. The first tree adorning the New York City center was placed in 1931. It was not the spectacular tree of today, but just a small undecorated tree placed there by construction workers. A few years later another tree was placed there and this time with lights. Now the 100-foot tree in Rockefeller Center is decorated with over 25,000 Christmas lights!

There is nothing like the fragrance from a real evergreen tree in your home. But the mess and difficulty of disposal are the reason many prefer an artificial Christmas tree. Artificial trees are not really a new invention. As early as the 19th century, Germans had “trees” made of dyed goose feathers in an effort to preserve their forests. In the 1930s, some Americans had trees made from brush bristles, but it wasn’t until the 50s and 60s that the white and gold aluminum and plastic trees gained in popularity. Artificial trees made nowadays are more natural looking, with soft green bristles, and integrated lights to ease the assembly and set up. Simply decorate with your favorite ornaments and you have a beautiful tree to place your presents under.

So, as you decorate your tree this year, whether it is artificial or a fragrant evergreen, remember the real reason for celebrating the season – Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, the light of our world.

To read more about the Christmas tree, go to https://www.history.com/topics/christmas/history-of-christmas-trees and https://www.britannica.com/question/Where-did-the-modern-Christmas-tree-originate