The origins of the Christmas tree are a little obscure but winter and evergreen trees have long had special significance to mankind. Because, unlike most forest trees, they stay green all through winter they were seen as some how mystical and decorating the home with evergreen boughs has taken place throughout history. So the traditional Christmas tree is probably an extension of this.
Legend has it that Martin Luther began the tradition of decorating Christmas trees. It is said that one crisp Christmas Eve, about the year 1500, he was walking through snow-covered woods and was struck by the beauty of a group of small evergreens. Their branches, dusted with snow, shimmered in the moonlight. When he got home, he set up a little fir tree indoors so he could share this story with his children. He decorated the tree with candles, which he lighted in honour of Christ’s birth.
This may or may not be true but by the 18th century the Christmas tree tradition was firmly established in Germany with the decorations becoming more elaborate. Queen Victoria’s husband Albert was a German and he brought with him the Christmas tree to Britain in the mid 19th century. Very soon it was the fashion in all the best households to have a decorated tree.
In those days the tree was usually brought in to the home on Christmas eve and removed on Epiphany or Twelfth night, Jan 6th. Nowadays the fresh tree is erected about two weeks before Christmas because to do so any earlier would mean the needles would drop. An artificial Christmas tree does not have the problem of shedding needle and so they can be erected at any time prior to Christmas.
The first modern artificial Christmas trees were produced by companies which made brushes. They were made using animal hair and later plastic bristles, dyed green and inserted between twisted wires that form the branches of the Christmas tree. The bases of the branches were then twisted together to form a large branch, which was then inserted in to a pole for a trunk. Each row of branches on an artificial tree is a different size, colour coded at the base with paint or stickers for ease of assembly.
Fashion has and technology has evolved over the years and now the artificial Christmas tree comes not only in many sizes but also in many colours. Many people now prefer a white tree or a black one. There are blue, purple, red and brown artificial Christmas trees now on sale. The latest fashion in America is for upside down artificial Christmas trees.
Perhaps the biggest problem with a fresh Christmas tree in finding one that is the right size, the right shape and bushy enough all over. With an artificial tree you never have that problem. The shape is always a constant traditional triangle but if you don’t have a lot of room you can get slim versions. The bushiness of the tree is your choice. You know that the more tips the tree has the bushier it is.
