What is a Christmas Tree?
A Christmas tree is a very popular form of decoration associated with the holiday “Christmas”. While Christmas is a Christian holiday, it has become the major holiday in the United States as well as being practiced worldwide. The Christmas tree is centerpiece for Christmas and its celebration. Serving as a focal point for gifts and family gatherings the Christmas tree is an essential part of celebration. Equally as important are the decorations that go onto the tree. Lights are an absolute standard in modern America, coming in a wide variety from colored, white, large, small, fiber optic, icicle and more. The second standard is either an angel or a star, both of which represent a guide to the birth of Jesus Christ.
Many other ornaments are popular when decorating a Christmas tree. Garlands, tinsel and ribbon are a popular choice. Skirts are another form of decoration that cover the tree stand and give the tree greater overall unity. The tree skirt also serves as a protector against fallen needles, candle wax or water spills as well.
Another popular decoration was flocking. Flocking is a process that involves spraying a Christmas tree with ingredients to make it appear as if there was snow on it. Flocking was very popular in the 1940’s and 1950’s particularly in the Western part of the United States.
Why do we use Christmas trees as a decoration?
Christmas trees were used for a long period of time before we began to decorate them. The practice began slowly with the affluent Europeans and spread west towards America. American immigrants and their predecessors were the ones responsible for popularizing decorating. A German immigrant name Charles Follen is recognized as the first to decorate a Christmas tree. In 18 another immigrant cut a blue spruce for his village. The village crafted a star for this tree and placed the tree inside Follens house. Follen decorated the tree with paper ornaments and candy canes. He was the first to ever put a candy cane on a Christmas tree.
Why do we use angels and stars as decorations?
Angels and stars are popular as Christmas tree ornaments because of their religious/symbolic value. The star represents the Star of David, which was a star the 3 wise men followed to find Jesus Christ on at his birth. The star also represents the light of Christ and the symbolism of God as the bright light on the top of our lives. The angel represents angels watching over Christ during his birth or guiding the wise men to their destination. Symbolically the angel also represents the role of Jesus Christ and God in our lives.
Where did the “Christmas Tree” tradition come from?
While the use of a tree as a device for celebration has traces to early societies, no direct connection can be proved to the pagan religion. The first provable instance of Christmas tree use was in the 16th century in Germany. An early news reference in the Bremen Guild Chronicle talks about using a small fir tree and decorating it with apples, dates, nuts, pretzels and paper flowers and placed in the home. On Christmas day their children would collect all of the treats from the tree.
Where do Christmas Trees come from?
In the early days most Christmas trees came from the dense American forests. But as millions of trees were being cut down every year environmental concerns grew. Today almost all Christmas trees come from organized farms or controlled forests. The majority of the trees sold nationwide and even overseas are from Oregon. Other major states for Christmas trees include North Carolina, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Washington. Almost all real Christmas trees are from the United States whereas 85% of artificial Christmas trees are manufactured in China.
Christmas Tree Blog