Dec 9th - The Life and History of a Christmas Tree

Whether your family chooses to celebrate the holidays or not, one thing I think everyone can agree on is December is the month of the Christmas Tree!

Due to the excitement of the season, my family decorated our tree a few weeks early (like Nov 1st-ish...). However many families wait until after Thanksgiving before pulling out the garland and ornaments. If you are getting a live tree for Christmas (which I think everyone should experience at least once in a lifetime!) then the longer you wait, the longer your tree will last past Dec 25th.

Upon decorating early this year, my child asked me how Christmas tree decorating even began as a tradition, and how a perfect tree is grown? Great questions, and I'll admit at the time I didn't have the answers, so I did a little digging!

History behind the Tree

The evergreen tree has been used to celebrate both pagan and Christian festivals for a couple thousand years. Pagan's would use the trimmed off branches of evergreens to make wreaths and hang them in their homes as a reminder that spring was coming. Christians would celebrate an Evergreen as a symbol of everlasting life, in remembrance of what Jesus's death on the cross had brought. The Romans would bring in fir trees to their homes and decorate them with small pieces of metal to celebrate Saturnalia, a winter festival in honor of Saturnus, the god of agriculture and the coming of the new year.

Germany, however, receives credit as the first country to begin the tradition of the indoor, decorated Christmas tree. Early 16th century German Christians would cut a fresh evergreen tree in December and take it indoors for the season's celebrations. Decorations included things such as paper crafts, apples and other fruits, candies, and even candles (yet lit candles!).

The Christmas tree tradition is thought to have been brought to American in the 1830's by early German immigrants. Although initially seen as 'pagan' by settled puritans, the tree's presence in the celebration of the Christmas season was not to be diminished and the heritage of the decorated Christmas tree took root into the hugely popular tradition American's everywhere largely celebrate today!

How do we get a perfect Christmas tree?

Watch this cool video from Quest TV to see how a perfect tree comes from the farm to your home!

Fascinating Huh?

Lets finish up today's post with some interesting facts about Christmas Trees!

  • Some early Christmas trees were hung upside down from the ceiling using chains that were hung from chandeliers/lighting hooks.
  • Although early Christmas trees might have been decorated with candles, the fad decreased with the potential threat of house fires due to drying trees.
  • Thomas Edison’s assistant came up with the idea of electric Christmas tree lights.
  • Two cities argue about the first documented use of a tree at Christmas and New Year celebrations, Tallinn in Estonia and Riga in Latvia. Both claim they had the first trees; Tallinn in 1441 and Riga in 1510.
  • In Poland, spider webs are common Christmas tree decorations because according to legend, a spider wove a blanket for Baby Jesus.
  • The first person to bring a Christmas tree into a house may have been the 16th century German preacher Martin Luther, according to lore.
  • In 1834, Queen Victoria's husband, Prince Albert, was credited with bringing the first Christmas tree to Windsor Castle for the Royal Family. 
  • Franklin Pierce was the first president to introduce the Christmas tree to the White House in 1856 for a group of Washington Sunday School children.
  • Every year, Norway donates a tree to the UK's Trafalgar Square in London, as a ‘thank you’ present for the help the UK gave Norway in World War II.

Thanks for joining us in another fun blog edition and Merry Christmas from our family tree to yours!

Credits:

I am a STEM/k12 Educator with Colorado State University Extension. I love working with youth and encouraging them to participate in many forms of hand on education! Overall, our goal is to promote positive youth development and encourage youth to pursue higher education after high school.

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