How did the Christmas tree become a part of Christmas? The Christmas tree originated in Germany when the Germans made pyramid-type structures and then they decorated them with evergreens and candles. The tradition of the Christmas tree was started by Martin Luther. The first Christmas trees used apples, wafers, tinsel, and sweetmeat. People started using Christ
mas trees in 1539. The earliest known use of the Christmas tree is a sculpture in a private home in modern-day France. Today there might be an angel or a star placed on top of the tree to represent either the angel Gabriel or the star of Bethlehem. Originally the tree represented the tree of life. New England’s Puritan leaders viewed the Christmas tree as unholy. In 1659 the general court of
Massachusetts passed a law making the observation of December 25 an offense. In 1846 an illustration of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert and their family around a Christmas tree was sketched in the London news. The Rockefeller tree dates back to the Depression era. The largest tree arrived in 1999, it measured over 100 feet tall and was from Killingworth, Connecticut. In Ireland for Christmas people favor the angel over the star.
Norwegians often take a trip to the forest to select a tree.
The Christmas
tree has been sold in the United States since around 1850.
In 1979 the tree was not lit except for the star on top in order to honor the American hostages in Iran. Most trees are cut a week before they sell. Other types of trees
including cherry and hawthorn have been used as Christmas trees in the past. Over 1,000,000 acres of land have Christmas trees planted on them. In 1963 the national tree
was not lit until December 22 due to a 30-day period of mourning of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Now, go tell your friends and family about Christmas trees
