Everyday Things: Christmas trees
Although the real St. Nicholas lived in the city of Myra, Turkey in the fourth century, he didn’t have a tree to stick his presents under on the big day… So, where did they come from? Once upon a time in the 7th century, a monk from Devon went to Germany to preach the word of God. Apparently, he used the shape of a triangular fir tree to describe the Holy Trinity of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and by the 12th century it was being hung in European churches as a sign of Christianity.
The first tree to be decorated was in Riga, Latvia in 1510. Early in that century, theological reformer Martin Luther is said to have decorated a tree with candles to signify stars to children. By the mid 1500s, many German towns had Christmas markets, where one could buy gifts, food and other festive items. People also crafted food and wax ornaments to hang on their trees at home. The original decorations embodied the Garden of Eden, food for the plentiful bounty and red and white flowers (for knowledge and innocence respectively).
Adornments soon began to appear; tinsel was among the first in c.1610, and was originally real silver pulled out into wafer thin strands. Silver, however, tarnished quickly but although replacements, such as old pewter were used, but these were heavy and tended to break easily, so silver remained popular right up to the mid-1900s.
England saw the first Christmas trees when Georgian Kings brought them over in the 1700s. Tinsel, wire ornaments, beads and candles were all used to brighten them up. The custom was to have several trees for each family member with presents under each. However, we almost had no cause for celebration at all! In 1644, parliament banned Christmas at the prompting of Oliver Cromwell; they believed its observance on December 25 was pagan in origin and, therefore, unacceptable. However, when Charles II took the throne the ban was rescinded, a lucky escape!
The tradition of kissing under mistletoe stems from at least the early 17th century. Druids held mistletoe sacred, and it was this popularity, along with its symbol of fertility and the ability for it to hold its green colour that led it to be hung over doors to protect against evil. The homely greetings with subsequent kisses were therefore mostly carried out under this mistletoe and the custom was carried forth.
In 1846, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert were shown standing round a Christmas tree with their children, which made trees even more popular, especially in the USA. Decorations were still very much homemade, with bead decorations, candles, tinsel and sweets commonplace, and angels on top. In the 1860s, trees had become more innovative with toys hanging from the branches, but most gifts were still put on a table underneath.
The countries around the Mediterranean still did not have much of a tree culture, most sticking with the traditional crib scene. In Germany, things started to get out of hand, and with many people cutting the tops off fir trees to make their festive Christmas tree designs (thus stopping them growing again), the authorities made laws preventing people from having more than one tree. This encouraged the making of artificial trees, invented in the 1880s by the Germans themselves.
It was a symbol of status to have glass ornaments adorning trees, and the more you had, the better your status! In true empire tradition, some trees were even topped with the Nation’s Flag - very patriotic! Things got colourful in 1895, when electric lights were first made by Ralph E. Morris, and ten years later saw metal hooks to hang decorations on branches safely.
In the early 1900s, families still preferred smaller tabletop trees (available in many sizes). Artificial trees, especially the Goose Feather Tree, were also available and became increasingly popular. Stateside, the Addis brush company made the first ever brush trees, from the same material as used for toilet brushes! They could also hold heavier ornaments. After WW1, decorations were made in Japan and America, where export was easier than Germany.
In the 1930s trees got bigger again and were heavily decorated with lights, balls, bells, tinsel and of course, angels - still the most popular tree-topping item to date. During WW2, the lack of Christmas trees being cut down made people revert back to smaller trees, along with the fear of losing their precious decorations to bombs. Large trees still boosted moral in public places, however.
After the war, although fake trees were popular, real trees still led the popularity stakes by some margin. Holly bushes were decorated in areas where fir trees were scarce, and the common decorations included paper angels, plastic shapes, icicles, and glass balls and birds. In the mid-1960s, silver trees were brought in from America; these required less ornaments due to their sparkling branches, although of course, most families still put their favourite decorations on the tree!
Real trees are still popular, although nowadays you can buy artificial trees that look exactly like the real thing, don’t drop a single needle and even have a pine-scented spray for that ‘real tree smell’!!!
The first tree to be decorated was in Riga, Latvia in 1510. Early in that century, theological reformer Martin Luther is said to have decorated a tree with candles to signify stars to children. By the mid 1500s, many German towns had Christmas markets, where one could buy gifts, food and other festive items. People also crafted food and wax ornaments to hang on their trees at home. The original decorations embodied the Garden of Eden, food for the plentiful bounty and red and white flowers (for knowledge and innocence respectively).
Adornments soon began to appear; tinsel was among the first in c.1610, and was originally real silver pulled out into wafer thin strands. Silver, however, tarnished quickly but although replacements, such as old pewter were used, but these were heavy and tended to break easily, so silver remained popular right up to the mid-1900s.
England saw the first Christmas trees when Georgian Kings brought them over in the 1700s. Tinsel, wire ornaments, beads and candles were all used to brighten them up. The custom was to have several trees for each family member with presents under each. However, we almost had no cause for celebration at all! In 1644, parliament banned Christmas at the prompting of Oliver Cromwell; they believed its observance on December 25 was pagan in origin and, therefore, unacceptable. However, when Charles II took the throne the ban was rescinded, a lucky escape!
The tradition of kissing under mistletoe stems from at least the early 17th century. Druids held mistletoe sacred, and it was this popularity, along with its symbol of fertility and the ability for it to hold its green colour that led it to be hung over doors to protect against evil. The homely greetings with subsequent kisses were therefore mostly carried out under this mistletoe and the custom was carried forth.
In 1846, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert were shown standing round a Christmas tree with their children, which made trees even more popular, especially in the USA. Decorations were still very much homemade, with bead decorations, candles, tinsel and sweets commonplace, and angels on top. In the 1860s, trees had become more innovative with toys hanging from the branches, but most gifts were still put on a table underneath.
The countries around the Mediterranean still did not have much of a tree culture, most sticking with the traditional crib scene. In Germany, things started to get out of hand, and with many people cutting the tops off fir trees to make their festive Christmas tree designs (thus stopping them growing again), the authorities made laws preventing people from having more than one tree. This encouraged the making of artificial trees, invented in the 1880s by the Germans themselves.
It was a symbol of status to have glass ornaments adorning trees, and the more you had, the better your status! In true empire tradition, some trees were even topped with the Nation’s Flag - very patriotic! Things got colourful in 1895, when electric lights were first made by Ralph E. Morris, and ten years later saw metal hooks to hang decorations on branches safely.
In the early 1900s, families still preferred smaller tabletop trees (available in many sizes). Artificial trees, especially the Goose Feather Tree, were also available and became increasingly popular. Stateside, the Addis brush company made the first ever brush trees, from the same material as used for toilet brushes! They could also hold heavier ornaments. After WW1, decorations were made in Japan and America, where export was easier than Germany.
In the 1930s trees got bigger again and were heavily decorated with lights, balls, bells, tinsel and of course, angels - still the most popular tree-topping item to date. During WW2, the lack of Christmas trees being cut down made people revert back to smaller trees, along with the fear of losing their precious decorations to bombs. Large trees still boosted moral in public places, however.
After the war, although fake trees were popular, real trees still led the popularity stakes by some margin. Holly bushes were decorated in areas where fir trees were scarce, and the common decorations included paper angels, plastic shapes, icicles, and glass balls and birds. In the mid-1960s, silver trees were brought in from America; these required less ornaments due to their sparkling branches, although of course, most families still put their favourite decorations on the tree!
Real trees are still popular, although nowadays you can buy artificial trees that look exactly like the real thing, don’t drop a single needle and even have a pine-scented spray for that ‘real tree smell’!!!
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