The Story of the Christmas Tree
By Donna Brooks
Ever since I was little, “A Charlie Brown Christmas” has been my favorite Christmas show. I especially love the scene where Charlie Brown and Linus are looking for a Christmas tree for the school play. They go to a tree lot where they find bright, shiny aluminum trees in every color, but Charlie Brown chooses a small, sad-looking, spindly tree. His friends ridicule him for choosing such a pitiful tree, but in the end, Charlie Brown and his friends find out that all the tree needed was a little love.
The origin of the Christmas tree
Decorating with evergreens can be traced back to the ancient Egyptians and Romans, but it is believed that the tradition of the modern-day Christmas tree began in 16th-century Germany. Although there are many stories about how the Christmas tree came about, many sources say that it probably evolved from a “paradise tree,” a prop used in plays that celebrated the feast day of Adam and Eve, which fell on Christmas Eve. The paradise tree was decorated with apples, representing the forbidden fruit, and wafers, representing the Eucharist. It is thought that the paradise tree was later placed in homes and decorated with items found around the house. It is also widely believed that Martin Luther, the German theologian and Protestant reformer, was the first to add lighted candles to a tree. On a cold, winter’s evening, Luther went for a walk after dinner and was so moved by the stars shining brilliantly through the evergreens that he wanted to recreate the experience for his family. So, he cut down a tree, brought it indoors, and decorated it with candles.
Christmas trees come to America
Several communities in the United States claim to have had the first American Christmas tree; however, it is most likely that German settlers were the first to introduce the Christmas tree tradition to Pennsylvania in the early 1800s. At first, Americans didn’t widely embrace the idea of a Christmas tree. But that changed in 1846, when Queen Victoria and Prince Albert were sketched in the Illustrated London News standing with their children around a Christmas tree. After that, the Christmas tree became all the rage in England and the U.S. By the 1870s, Christmas ornaments were being sold across the U.S. Not long after, electric Christmas tree lights made their debut when Edward Hibberd Johnson, an associate of Thomas Edison, strung 80 red, white and blue bulbs on a Christmas tree he placed in the window of his parlor. By the 1930s, artificial trees were introduced, and in the 1950s and ’60s, aluminum and PVC plastic trees were being sold.
Today, decorating a Christmas tree is a well-loved tradition for many Americans, and I have enjoyed decorating a few Charlie Brown trees of my own. But to me, the Christmas tree is so much more than just tradition. The star we put on top of the tree is symbolic of the star of Bethlehem, which announced Jesus’ birth to the world, and the lights placed on the tree are symbolic of Christ, the light of the world. The tree itself—an evergreen—symbolizes hope and life in a cold, dark winter, just as Jesus brings hope and life to all who believe.
Donna Brooks is a freelance writer and editor and the owner of Red Clay Editorial Services in Bluffton, South Carolina. In her free time, Donna is an avid runner, reader, photographer and traveler.
References:
History of Christmas Trees, HISTORY
Christmas Tree: Tradition, History, & Facts, Britannica
Christmas Tree, Wikipedia
Jesus is truly the “reason for the season.” He is our Hope. He won our Peace. He gives us Joy. He showed us Love. He is the Light of the World!
LCC's Advent message series "Christmas Traditions" begins on Sunday, November 22, and you are invited!
8:30 | 10:00 | 11:30 a.m.