Christmas Trees

 

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