Christmas Tree Guide 2024

Here you will find everything about the Christmas tree

Lots of interesting facts about the Christmas tree

Like hardly any other symbol, the Christmas tree in America stands for the festival of love. Parents love the beaming eyes of their little ones when they stand in front of the huge tree with its many lights.

Older children can hardly wait to unwrap the presents lovingly hidden around the tree. For us, a pretty tree is part of the Christmas celebration.

History of the Christmas tree - origin and custom.

For us, it is probably the most popular symbol of the Christmas season: the Christmas tree. Whether small or large, colorful or monochrome, striking or simple.

Christmas trees in all colors decorate the living rooms and let them shine festively, and also in the stores and shopping streets you can not get past it in December.

However, the Christmas tree does not have a Christian origin, because according to tradition, the first trees were erected only in the 15th century. Originally, it was more a symbol of the Protestants, but not of the Catholic Christmas.

5 interesting facts about Christmas tree history

• The Christmas tree of our time actually comes from a pagan tradition.
• In the beginning, the tree was a symbol of Protestant Christmas, and only in the 19th century did it make its way to Catholic families as well.
• From the end of the 19th century, German noble families, soldiers and emigrants brought the Christmas tree to the big wide world.
• Putting up the Christmas tree is one of the most popular Christmas customs. Famous Christmas trees can be seen in New York, in London and in Rome.

First Christmas trees in Germany in the 15th century

The first mention of the Christmas tree was in 1419 by a bakers' guild from Freiburg. At least as interesting, however, is the fact that the city of Riga celebrated the 500th anniversary of a Christmas tree as we know it today as early as 2010. The origin of the Christmas tree in terms of time and place is therefore rather difficult to assign.

It was only a small step from green branches all over the house to a Christmas tree with tree decorations. The first Christmas trees were probably found in southwestern Germany. According to tradition, conifers were already being traded at Christmas time in Strasbourg in 1535.

At that time it was mainly boxwoods, holly or yew, in the early days they were placed in the rooms without candles. By 1570, the custom had spread as far as the north. In the guild houses in Bremen, fir trees were found decorated with apples, dates and nuts.

Children were allowed to take the fruit from the trees and eat it. It wasn't until around 1730 that candles were added, with the trees first being found exclusively in Protestant homes and only making their way into Catholic families at the beginning of the 19th century.

Spread beyond Europe in the 19th century

During the time of the Wars of Freedom against the French Emperor Napoleon, Christmas trees slowly spread from Germany to other countries. They became a Christmas symbol for everything German and were more and more accepted as an integral part of a Christmas celebration.

By the end of the 19th century, German noble families were bringing the Christmas tree to courts abroad throughout Europe and as far away as America. Emigrants and soldiers finally brought it to the so-called New World in the 19th century. In 1891, a Christmas tree was placed in front of the White House in Washington for the first time, and this tradition has been preserved until today.

Current spread of the Christmas tree custom

Today, the Christmas tree is a symbol of Christmas not only throughout Europe. Particularly famous is probably the tree in Trafalgar Square in London, although the origin of this tree is already in the Second World War. Thus, the fir is always said to come from Norway and to this day is a symbol of the joint struggle of Great Britain and Norway in World War II against Germany.

You can also find a huge Christmas tree in St. Peter's Square in Rome, which is flown in from a different country every year. The biggest celebrity might be the lighting of the Christmas tree in New York, which is made an event every year.

Economic importance of the Christmas tree

The economic importance of the Christmas tree should not be underestimated either.

Year after year, about 48.5 million trees are placed in America alone - mostly in living rooms across the country. The tree is the center of Christmas celebrations in most families.

In 2017, Americans purchased 27.4 million real Christmas trees, about the same as the previous year. In contrast, "only" 21.1 million of artificial Christmas trees were sold, but this is 13 percent more than the previous year

It is usually very elaborately decorated, and most importantly, it is the place where Christmas presents are found. Traditionally, the gifts are hidden under the tree so that the whole family can gather around it and sing Christmas carols. For this purpose, a nativity scene with the figures of the Christmas story is often placed on the Christmas tree on Christmas Eve.

Of course, it is especially fun for children, who not only marvel at the tree, but are also allowed to unwrap their presents there. The fact that the original religious meaning is somewhat overshadowed in the process may be forgiven by the little ones as well as the grown ups.

Christmas tree decoration: At Christmas the tree is decorated as the focal point in the living room.

From a commercial point of view, it is certainly interesting to see how the decoration of the Christmas tree has changed to this day.

If in the past people knew only red, gold and maybe green Christmas tree balls, a star on the top and a monochrome string of lights, today there are tree decorations in all sizes, shapes and colors.

Every year new trends come on the market, a whole industry lives on it. For a long time there is no longer only the traditional jewelry, but every year new colors seem to come on the market, which are not infrequently even created especially for the Christmas season. In addition, Christmas trees are now available in all sizes.

If you don't want a real tree, you might opt for a small artificial tree, although these trees are now made in such a way that you can hardly tell them apart from real trees. But regardless of whether it is a real tree or not, whether it is a traditional ornament or not: probably no one wants to do without the Christmas tree as a beautiful symbol of Christmas around Christmastime.

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