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Christmas Trees
 | Everyone agrees the Christmas tree custom came from Germany. The first Christmas tree (undecorated) might have been in the first half of the 700's. A legend says a British monk was giving a sermon on the Nativity to a tribe of Germanic Duids and felled an oak to show them it wasn't sacred. When the oak failed to crush a small fir tree, he called it a miracle and named the tree "Tree of the Christ Child". Christmas was then celebrated in Germany by planting fir saplings. |
We definitely know Christmas trees were decorated inside and outside of the house during the 1500's in Germany. There is a forest ordiance dated 1561 that says "no burgher shall have for Christmas more than one bush of more than eight shoes' length". The decorations at the time included apples, cookies and candy.
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By the 1700's, the Christmas tree was a solid tradition that had spread over Western Europe. But, it didn't find a place in England until Queen Victoria married Prince Albert. Albert was German and had grown up with decorated Chrismas trees. When the couple married in 1840, he asked her to follow the German tradition. He even visited his old home in Germany to bring back decorations to get them started. Having a Christmas tree quickly spread through England and the British colonies (where the Empire's flag would often top the tree instead of an angel). |
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The Pennyslvania Germans introduced the Christmas tree to America. The first mention of a decorated Christmas tree was a diary entry dated December 20, 1821 in Lancaster, Pennyslvania. Some people think the Christmas tree arrived with the Hessian soldiers paid to fight in the Revolutionary War, but if this is true, they kept the custom to themselves.
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