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The History of the Christmas Tree

© Jojo Sigurgeirson

First, a Carol.

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree

Thy leaves are so unchanging

Not only green when summer's here

but also when 'tis cold and drear

Even though the tradition of using the Christmas tree is so well known now, its exact origin is uncertain. The decorating of a tree during the winter can be traced back to the ancient Druids, who centered their winter solstice celebrations around the sacred oak. These oaks were left standing where they were growing and decorated with candles and apples. Read more about Druids and their sacred trees at Ethno Magazine Online.

Although this is vaguely similar to current tradition, it is likely that Martin Luther bridged the gap with his Christmas tree of 1530. It is said that one night, the stars were shining though the forest of firs near his home. It so moved him that he apparently cut a small one and brought it indoors. He placed lit candles in its boughs in a salute to the star of Bethlehem. This story of the first Christmas tree is quite popular, even though the first actual written record of a Christmas tree dates to 1604, which is well after Luther's death.

Then there is the relevance of St. Boniface. You can read all about him in Traute Klein's The Legend of St. Boniface.

In any case, it was from Germany that the tradition was quick to catch on. Soon all over Northern Europe, people were cutting small trees to bring indoors to centre their winter celebrations around.

In England, the first documented Christmas tree went up in 1841. Prince Albert (originally from Germany), husband of Queen Victoria, set up a Christmas tree at Windsor Castle in England. It soon became very popular, and for Victorians, a good Christmas tree had to be six branches tall and be placed on a table covered with a white damask tablecloth. Often a cloth was placed over the bricks or wooden contraption holding the tree up. It was decorated with garlands, candies and paper flowers.

Interestingly enough, the first documented Christmas tree in North America was erected way before that. In 1747, in the Moravian community of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, a wooden pyramid was covered with boughs of fir, and was decorated with candles and apples.

The first settlers of New England were Puritans, and forbade any Christmas trees to be erected, as it was considered to be sinful to subscribe to any practice not specifically mentioned in the Bible (such as eating potatoes). By 1659, it was necessary to level fines on the masses of non-Puritans who now infiltrated that part of the country. Anyone caught celebrating Christmas would be fined 15 cents. As a result, New England remained essentially Christmas-less until late in the 19th century.

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