Just When & Why Did Evergreen Trees Become A Christmas Custom?
The Evolution Of Christmas Trees In America
Follow a tradition long enough, and it becomes innate, secondhand.
Thanksgiving already? Time to roast a turkey, mash some potatoes and bake a pie.
The day after? Hit the mall or put up the Christmas tree.
But if we stop to think and question our annual traditions, we may learn new and interesting things. Take the Christmas tree. Why, exactly, do we decorate it? Why do we even display it? What makes it so special and iconic? A look at past photos, transferred into digital form by picture scanning services, illustrates that evolution.
People have long treasured evergreen trees and boughs, based on the belief that they prevented evil and illness from striking. Everyone from Druids to Vikings to Romans held the evergreens in high regard. The boughs were tacked over windows and doors. The tree tradition, however, began with the Germans. And legend has it that Martin Luther introduced lighted candles to the indoor tree to replicate the outdoor experience of seeing stars glowing in a forest of trees.
German settlers brought the tradition to this country in the 1830s, but it was not readily accepted by the Puritans. Even decorating for Christmas was a finable offense then, and the trees were considered a pagan symbol. It wasn’t until more German – and Irish – immigrants entered America that the tradition became mainstream. Great Britain’s Queen Victoria and Prince Albert led the way, after they appeared in a family portrait, gathered around a Christmas tree. In this 1959 photo, the decorated Christmas tree is firmly planted in American tradition and on display at the White House.
Although the Europeans preferred shorter trees, Americans like theirs tall. Early tree decor featured candles and edible items such as popcorn, cookies and nuts. The introduction of electricity paved the way for the string lights we see so often now, and also made Christmas trees more popular.
Thanks to picture scanning services that make old images look as good as new, we can glance back in time and observe how our traditions came to be.