A SHORT HISTORY OF CHRISTMAS
TREES
"Evergreen boughs have been essential seasonal decor
since ancient times as part of pagan winter solstice celebrations. Evergreens at midwinter festivals were traditional,
signifying the victory of life and light over death and darkness”.*
In many countries it was believed that evergreens would
keep away witches, ghosts, evil spirits, and illness.
There is some debate
over the origin of our modern day Christmas trees. Both Latvia and Estonia claim to have been home to
the first Christmas tree. Latvia traces its Christmas tree traditions back to 1510, when a merchant guild called
the House of the Black Heads carried a tree through the city, decorated it, and
later burned it down. Meanwhile,
Estonia has countered those claims, saying it has evidence of
a similar festival hosted by the very same guild in its capital city Tallinn in
1441.
Today most historians believe our traditions started in
Alsace, part of Germany at the time but now France. Historical records indicate that a
Christmas tree was raised in the Strasbourg Cathedral in 1539 and that the
tradition had grown so popular throughout the region that the city of Freiburg
banned felling trees for Christmas in 1554.
Still, the tradition caught on among German families and
slowly evolved through the years to what we know today. Protestant reformer Martin Luther is often
credited with being the first to put lights on the Christmas tree with candles
after a nighttime stroll through the forest with twinkling stars above. German
emigrants took these traditions with them as they resettled in other countries.
By the 18th century Christmas trees were all over Europe.
In 1848, Queen Victoria and her husband Prince Albert from Germany captured the imaginations of
royal watchers around the world when the Illustrated London News published an illustration of
their family gathered around a decorated Christmas tree. Queen Victoria was a trendsetter of her time,
and so the tradition took off around the world.
Germany’s Christmas tree tradition also likely
arrived in the United States in the late 18th century, when Hessian troops
joined the British to fight in the Revolutionary War. In the years that followed, German immigrants
also brought the tradition to the U.S. and, over time, historian Penne Restad
writes that they “became a point of fascination for other Americans.”
American families adopted the Christmas tree more widely
after 1850, when the Philadelphia-based magazine Godey’s Lady’s Book republished the royal family’s
Christmas scene from Illustrated
London News. The magazine
made a few tweaks, editing out Victoria’s crown and Albert’s royal sash to
transform them into one version of an American family.
Today, the lighting of two beloved U.S. Christmas trees
are part of our country’s ritual for ushering in the holiday season. In 1923, President Calvin Coolidge oversaw
the lighting of the first National Christmas Tree in Washington, D.C.
A decade later, in 1933, New York City lit the first Christmas
tree at Rockefeller Center which has since become a must visit for tourists and
New Yorkers alike each holiday season. Both trees have been illuminated every
year since, save for a few years in the 1940s when they went dark due to blackout
restrictions during World War II.
CHRISTMAS TREE FARMS
Many citizens of New Jersey would be surprised to learn
that we are the home of the first Christmas Tree Farm in the United Sates.
In 1901, W.V. McGalliard planted twenty five thousand
Norway Spruces on his property in Mercer County near Trenton. Seven years later those Christmas trees were
sold for one dollar each.
Today there are 83 Christmas tree farms in New Jersey. Their locations are posted on the internet.
During the 1940s, 90 percent of all natural Christmas trees sold
in the United State were harvested from forests. The most popular species during that era,
Balsam Fir, Douglas-fir, Black Spruce and White Spruce, were all readily
available growing wild in forests.
Luckily following World War II more
trees began to be planted on plantations.
Today 30
million Christmas trees are harvested every year on tree farms. 25% of these trees are grown in Oregon and
shipped throughout the country. Christmas
trees are grown in all 50 states including Hawaii and Alaska. Today 98 percent of all Christmas trees are
grown on farms.
Evergreen
trees generally take 6 to 10 years to
reach maturity. All of these trees are
trimmed once a year to give them a pleasing appearance in the home. The
best-selling trees are Scotch Pine, Douglas Fir, Fraser Fir, Balsam Fir and
White Pine.
The tallest living Christmas tree is
believed to be the 122-foot, 91-year-old Douglas fir in the town of
Woodinville, Washington.
In the
first week, a tree in your home will consume as much as a quart of water per
day.
*Carole Cusack is a professor of religious studies at the
University of Sydney.
The information in this article comes from a few different
sources. Thanks to the Smithsonian,
National Geographic & The History Channel.
Have a safe & happy holiday season,
James
