Where did Christmas trees come from?

By: Dorian Jenkins

Every year, people go out and buy all these beautiful decorations for their Christmas tree, but do you know why?  In the 17th century, a monk named Martin Luther, from Devonshire, traveled to Germany to teach the Word of God. He spent most of his time in Thuringia, an area that was soon to become the center of the Christmas decoration industry.

Legend has it, he used the triangular shape of the fir tree to describe the Holy Trinity of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The converted people began to revere the fir tree as God’s tree, as they had previously revered the oak. By the 12th century, it was being hung, upside-down, from ceilings at Christmas time in Central Europe, as a symbol of Christianity.

The first decorated tree was at Riga, in Latvia, in 1510. Martin Luther is said to have decorated a small Christmas tree with candles, to show his children how the stars twinkled in the night. Bre Robbins, a student at Seckman High School says, “During the holidays my family will always follow the traditional ways of decorating our Christmas trees.”

By the 1900’s, themed trees became very popular. A color theme set in with ribbons and ornaments, referred to as an “Egyptian tree.” A student of Seckman High School, Nick Lacy, says, “Our family likes to decorate the tree with many bright colors and have fun making the tree look nice for the holidays.”

Now, we have the “American” tree. When settlers from all over Europe took their customs into the 19th century, decorations were not easy to find in the small towns in the West, and people began making their own decorations. The tin was made to create lights and lanterns to hold candles, which could shine through the holes. Decorations of all kinds were cut out, stitched and glued. General stores became hunting grounds for any old magazines with pictures, rolls of cotton, and tinsel, which was occasionally sent from Germany, or brought in from Eastern states. 

Today, in America, we decorate our trees more modernly, but keep some of the same traditions. Most people between Thanksgiving and Christmas set up a Christmas tree in their home to celebrate the holiday coming up. However, some families do not want real trees in their home, so you can even buy artificial Christmas trees. Hanna Gregory, a sophomore at Seckman High School, says, “Every year my family makes it a tradition to go out and pick out our tree from a tree farm.”  However, the artificial trees sell the most because they can last for many years. After the trees have been set, you then would add garland, tinsel, ornaments, and lights. The tree decorations have developed into more advanced decorations and have adapted into everyone’s winter holidays.