- The Christmas Tree
Our Traditional Christmas tree is usually evergreen, but many today use artificial trees to decorate their home. Strings of Electric lights inspire memories of the past.
The tradition of having a Christmas Tree has been around for a very long time for many centuries the cutting of a tree for Christmas has been a main part of the Christmas Celebration
The Druids of ancient England and France decorated oak trees with fruit and candles to honor their gods of harvests. At the festival Saturnalia the Romans decorated trees with trinkets and candles.
Many stories through the ages have arisen concerning the Christmas Tree.
The story Saint Boniface, an English monk, is one such legend
He came upon a group of pagans who had gathered around an oak tree and were preparing to sacrifice a child. To stop the sacrifice and save the child, the Saint flattened the oak tree with one blow of his fist. A small fir sprang up in its place, which Saint Boniface told the pagans was the Tree of Life and represented the life of Christ.
Another legend tells of Martin Luther, the founder of the Protestant Christian religion, walking through the woods late one night. As it was clear, many stars were shining through the branches of the trees giving the impression of twinkling lights. Luther was so inspired by the beauty of the sight that he cut down a small evergreen and brought it home. He recreated the stars by putting candles on the tree's branches.
The bringing of a Christmas tree indoors seems to have started in Germany. German Christians would bring trees into their homes to decorate. In some areas evergreen trees were scarce so the families would build a Christmas pyramid, simple wooden structures which they decorated with branches and candles.
The Christmas tree as a Christmas Symbol, eventually spread throughout Europe. The English Royalty help popularize the tree in England by decorating the first Christmas tree at Windsor Castle in 1841. Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria, decorated the first English Christmas Tree with candles, candies, fruits, and gingerbread.
Our German immigrants came to American they also brought along their Christmas trees. In the 1830's most Americans still considered the Christmas tree an oddity. One of the first public displays of a Christmas tree was set up by German Settlers in Pennsylvania. At the time many still considered the tree to be a symbol of pagans and it wasn't until the late 1800's that Americans began accepting the Christmas tree.
Christmas trees were often decorated with apples, nuts, cookies, colored popcorn and candles. Paper was cut into strips and colored and glued into circles to make the colorful ropes put on Trees. The invention of electricity in the early 20th century and use of electrical Christmas lights helped spread the use of the Christmas tree.
Every year the President of the United States lights the National Christmas Tree in Washington and in New York skaters spin beneath the lighted tree of Rockefeller Center. Through Europe and the rest of the world the Christmas tree has also become readily accepted and adored.
Real Christmas trees are an all-American product, grown in all 50 states, including Alaska and Hawaii.
Most artificial trees are manufactured in Korea, Taiwan, or Hong Kong.
For every real Christmas tree harvested, 2 to 3 seedlings are planted in its place.
Each hectare (2.47 acres) provides the daily oxygen requirements of 45 people.
