Christmas trees

There may be no more visible symbol of Christmas than the Christmas tree. A Christmas celebration simply isn’t complete without an evergreen tree (or an artificial tree that looks like an evergreen), adorned with such decorations as colored lights, tinsel, glass or wooden ornaments, or even strings of popcorn threaded together as a garland.

As usual, there is no shortage of disagreement as to the origin and evolution of the Christmas tree. In fact, at the risk of invoking a terrible pun, the roots of the Christmas tree run in many different directions.

An evergreen tradition

A number of Christmas traditions are said to have their origins with pagan rituals honoring the Winter Solstice, or with an ancient Roman celebration called Saturnalia, in honor of Saturn, who was the Roman god of agriculture. The Christmas tree is no exception, though in either case, the ritual was largely the same: boughs of evergreen branches were cut and decorated as symbols of life and rebirth, since they remained green during the winter while other trees shed their leaves.

Others believe that the significance of the evergreen traces back to St. Boniface, who lived in the Eighth Century. In roughly 723, while spreading the message of Christianity in what is now modern-day Germany, Boniface challenged Germanic beliefs in pagan gods such as Odin and Thor. To prove his point, Boniface chopped down an oak tree that was central to pagan beliefs, and challenged the “thunder god” to strike him down. While he was waiting, however, Boniface noticed a small fir tree growing at the base of the oak, and told the hostile crowd that it was a sign from God of everlasting life offered by Christianity. The event would prove to be an important turning point in the future of Christianity in Europe.

The seeds of evolution

There is also a healthy amount of disagreement regarding how evergreen worship evolved into what would ultimately become the modern-day Christmas tree. Some historians believe that, sometime during the early 1500s, Martin Luther was walking through the woods near his home on Christmas Eve and noticed the beauty of the evergreen trees in the starlight and snow. Inspired, he cut one down and brought it indoors for his family to decorate with candles as a symbol of Christmas. Others say that Martin Luther’s involvement is a myth, and that decorating an evergreen tree gained popularity in Germany, with the first known Christmas tree in 1521.

Religious scholars offer a third explanation that has nothing to do with pagan rituals, oak trees or Martin Luther. Instead, they say, the tree is part of a Christmas Eve ritual dating back to the Middle Ages called the “Paradise Tree.” It represented the Tree of Life from the Garden of Eden, and was decorated with apples to represent the forbidden fruit. Over time, the apples would be replaced with ornaments and other decorations, with a star placed at the top to symbolize the dominance of Christ.

Yet another origin comes from Latvia in 1510, where residents would often decorate a tree at Christmastime with artificial roses and dance around it in a celebration of the Virgin Mary.

Growth in popularity

Whatever the case, it is generally agreed that the practice of decorating evergreen trees slowly gained popularity over the centuries throughout Europe as part of the Christmas celebration, particularly after gaining acceptance by the Catholic church. The practice gained additional momentum by spreading to England in 1841, when the marriage of England’s Queen Victoria to Germany’s Prince Albert brought the Christmas tree to the Royal Family. The Christmas tree quickly became popular throughout the country.

The Christmas tree’s history in the United States is a mixed bag of history and legend as well. Several cities claim credit for being the home for the first Christmas tree at various times during the 1800s, including Windsor Locks, Conn.; Easton, Pa.; Lancaster, Pa.; and Boston, Mass. No clear winner emerges.

Decorating the tree

Tree decorations have origins that trace back through the centuries: colored paper and fruit in the 1500s, small candles in the 1700s, and glass ornaments and strings of lights in the 1800s. In the United States, the ritual of decorating the tree began as part of the Christmas Eve celebration, and the tree was left up until Twelfth Night on Jan. 5, the night before Epiphany.

As with many Christmas traditions, however, commercialization and popular culture have had a gradual influence on the decorating ritual. Two famous U.S. Christmas trees – the National Christmas tree on the south lawn of the White House and the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center in New York – are lit well before Christmas Eve, and many families now decorate trees at various times in the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Real vs. artificial

While artificial Christmas trees are generally associated with the 20^th century, the first ones actually appeared in Germany in the 19^th century, made from goose down feathers that had been dyed green. Sears, Roebuck & Co. began selling artificial trees in the United States in approximately 1883 in response to fears about deforestation. The famous (or infamous) aluminum Christmas tree made its debut in 1958 and was relatively common until the late 1960s.

The first U.S. Christmas tree farms began cropping up in the early 1900s. In 2010, it is estimated that between 25 million and 30 million natural Christmas trees will be sold, with almost all coming from Christmas tree plantations.