O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree...

The other night I was watching a program on Christmas traditions and how they began.  I especially enjoyed the story behind how the Christmas Tree became a tradition, and thought I would share it with you.

It all began before Christianity, when Ancient Romans, Greeks and Egyptians brought evergreens into their homes during the winter... observing some kind of celebration in the darkness of winter.  In 1605 a traveler in Germany brought home for his family a small evergreen to sit on the table... and for the next 200 years these small table top Christmas Trees were seldom seen outside of Germany.

In the 1840's a Prince brought his tradition of his German homeland to the Royal Family.  Prince Albert was a German who married Queen Victoria.  In England in 1847, Prince Albert gave his wife a small Christmas Tree, and invited the London Illustrated News to sketch his family enjoying this new custom.  The picture was published in 1848 and by the next Christmas, trees were popping up all over English parlors.

Two years later in America, a magazine editor, named Sarah Josepha Hale published the same picture... but first she removed the Royal couple's jewels and medals, and presented the picture as a 'typical American family' enjoying their Christmas Tree.  After the magazines publication in 1850, nearly everyone in the country wanted one.  Each December after saw Americans visiting Christmas Tree lots, or jogging out to the forests to chop down their own.  It wasn't until forty years later a new option became available with the first artificial trees.  Advertisements for artificial Christmas Trees cropped up in magazines in the 1890's.

The first "Family Christmas Tree" to appear in the White House (which were real evergreens... not artificial) was during Franklin Pierce's presidency in the 1850's.  This new tradition was interrupted in 1901 during Teddy Roosevelt's administration, due to an outcry against waste of pine trees for consumption at Christmas time.  Roosevelt decided that was the end of Christmas Trees, and he would have no Christmas Tree at the White House... but... he didn't expect the reaction from his own children.  His own young son managed to sneak 10 cents out of the White House and buy himself a little bitty Christmas Tree and set it up in a closet.  Roosevelt had a change of heart when he found out about his son's tree, and he learned about a conservation option... "Tree Farming".  Tree Farming meant not cutting down virgin forests to create domestic size Christmas Trees.  Throughout the 20th century, Christmas Tree farming grew into a major industry... today it employees over 100,000 people.  Today Christmas Trees have become bigger... some even going floor to ceiling... than the small table top version from the 1800's.

Which brings us to the decorations of the Christmas Tree.  The first ornaments were cookies and candies that were hung on the tree during 16th century Germany.  For 200 years a decorated tree was a child's delight, because most of the ornaments were edible... these evergreens were known as "Sugar Trees"... and were joyfully shaken down for their so called fruit.  In the 19th century, when industrialization catches on... the tree began to have small toys and gifts (such as small musical instruments for boys and needle books for girls) added to it's branches... making the gifts themselves the ornaments.  By the 2nd half of the 19th century, gifts became too large to hang on the tree, and instead were laid under the tree.  New ornaments needed to be created to decorate the tree... this is when the first glass ornaments were made and used for decorations.  Woolworth's was the first American company to import, and sell the glass ornaments... these ornaments actually were responsible for making Woolworth stores the most profit.

And what about the twinkle lights on the Christmas Tree (which I've already said in a previous blog, are my FAVORITE!)... how did they get started?  Before electric lights, small wax candles were lit and placed on the Christmas tree... but... because the risk of fire was so great... buckets of water were concealed behind the tree, or behind the drapes to be ready in a moments notice to douse the tree in case of a fire.  In 1879, Thomas Edison produced the invention that would light up, and change the world... the electric light bulb.  One of the first uses of his new electric light bulbs were to be used on Christmas Trees.  The electric light bulb was only 3 years old in 1882, when the Vice President of Edison's Electric Company (Edward Johnson) had 80 red, white, and blue lights wired to a revolving Christmas Tree in his parlor... but it wasn't until the 1920's that Christmas Tree lights became popular, when electricity in homes became common place in America... which was a much safer way to illuminate the Christmas Tree than wax candles.

Now you too know the story and history of the Christmas Tree we enjoy today!  I found the history quite fascinating, especially how a simple small evergreen tree became the huge decorated Christmas Trees we now have in our homes all through the Christmas Season present day.

O Christmas Tree... O Christmas Tree... how lovely are thy branches!