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The Origin of the Christmas Tree
Although Arizona does not have a white Christmas season, decorating a tree is still a family tradition. Photo by Allyson Rengifo
Written by Allyson Rengifo-Staff Writer
Decorating the Christmas tree is one of the best holiday family traditions. Some families make their annual selection of that perfect evergreen, while others get out the artificial and ruffle its needles. Perhaps a fire crackles in the hearth as Christmas music plays or family members sip hot cocoa. The lights are strung and favorite ornaments hung, and the ceremony is topped with the shinning star on the tree. How the tree looks really is a reflection of the family decorating it. There are over 25-30 million evergreen trees sold in a year although few people know about the origin of the Christmas tree.
The Christmas tree tradition first came to United States with the Hessian Germans. But it was considered a pagan mockery and remained unaccepted until the nineteenth century. Various cultures often brought evergreens into homes at the time of the winter solstice. It symbolized life in the midst of death in many cultures. The modern Christmas tree evolved from the Germans and Scandinavians (16th century) tradition of placing evergreen trees inside their homes to show their hope of the forthcoming of spring.
The Christmas tree market was born in 1851 when Catskill farmer Mark Carr hauled two ox sleds of evergreens into New York City. By the end of the day he had sold them all. By 1900, one in five American families had a Christmas tree in their homes, and 20 years later, the custom was nearly universal. People began by decorating with nuts, paper roses, and fruits. It has now grown to include candy canes, ginger bread cookies, streamers and glass ornaments. The star or angel that sits on top of the tree represents the host of angels or the star of Bethlehem found in the Nativity. As the years have gone by the decorations on the tree have evolved into different trinkets that often reflect the family decorating it.
It is believed that Martin Luther, a monk and church reformer who lived from 1483 to 1546, was the first to light a tree with candles. He had been walking home when he was struck by the beauty of the starlight shinning through the branches of a fir tree. When he arrived home later that night, he hung some candles on a small tree to demonstrate the beauty of the tree to his children. In 1882, Thomas Edison’s assistant Edward Johnson developed the idea of Christmas tree lights that ran on electricity. This innovation made outdoor Christmas tree lights possible and has made Christmas trees safer to have in the home.
Arizona may not be known for chestnuts roasting on an open fire or Jack Frost nipping at your nose, but the Christmas tree tradition transcends our arid climate and still stands as a nostalgic representation of significant family traditions.
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