Home And Family

The Christmas tree has a very rich and varied history. In 1510, the first written record of a decorated Christmas tree comes from Riga, Latvia. Men of the local merchants’ guild decorated a tree with artificial roses, danced around it in the marketplace and then set fire to it as a form of celebration. It was later in the 1800s, that German settlers introduced the Christmas tree in the United States, where the tradition rapidly took hold. The types of trees chosen for display rapidly grew from tabletop size to floor-to-ceiling. In 1851, Christmas Trees started to sell commercially in the United States, where it quickly became an annual tradition to choose a tree for the home. Today approximately twenty-five to thirty million real Christmas trees sell each year in the United States and most come from Christmas tree plantations. For every live tree harvested, up to three seedlings are planted in its place the following spring. There are about 500,000 acres in production for growing Christmas Trees in the U.S. Each acre provides the daily oxygen requirements of eighteen people. There are about 21,000 Christmas tree growers in the U.S. and over 100,000 people employed full or part-time in the industry

As early as the Egyptians, there has been a long line of cultures that treasured and worshiped evergreens; when the winter solstice arrives, they brought green date palm leaves into their homes to symbolize life’s triumph over death. On the other hand, the Romans celebrated the winter solstice with a fest called Saturnalia in honor of Saturnus, the god of agriculture. They decorated their houses with greens and lights and exchanged gifts. They gave coins for prosperity, pastries for happiness, and lamps to light one’s journey through life. The Christmas tree is a symbol of a living Christmas spirit and brings into our lives a pleasant aroma of the forest.

The fact that balsam fir twigs, more than any other evergreen twigs, resemble crosses may have had much to do with the early popularity of balsam fir used as Christmas trees. The first glass ornaments were kugels, a kind of glass ball intended to protect houses against evil spirits. The shape of kugels and other Christmas balls remind us of the red apples, which decorate the tree of Paradise. For a long time Germany headed the list of major producers of Christmas ornaments. From 1875 to the beginning of the Second World War, Germany provided a goodly share of the decorations for Canadian fir trees. Other producers included Austria, the United States, Japan, Italy, Czechoslovakia and Canada.

The top selling Christmas trees are: balsam fir, Douglas fir, Fraser fir, noble fir, Scotch pine, Virginia pine and white pine in the United States and Canada, but there are many other types used and species of firs and pines used. Many of these trees are available in both fresh cut and synthetic styles. Of course, the fresh cut trees have to be watered and cared for during the duration of the display. Many of these trees have wonderful scents that are very memorable and add greatly to the holiday celebrations.

The mystique of the Christmas tree, why people love a beautifully a decorated tree it reminds them of the warmth of home and families, of special religious observations.Gifts placed under the tree reflect the giving nature of the holidays, which children of all ages just love. And the use of personalized ornaments, beads, crystal, glass, toys, wood and even food as decorations for the branches passed down thorough generations.