Christmas Trees – A Beautiful Tradition

A lot has been speculated about the beginning of Christmas Trees, but it is undeniable that for many centuries man has used trees and branches for his ceremonies.  At the end of December Egiptians brought palms to improve next year´s harvest; Romans cut branches and decorated them with images of the Sun God.  But the Druids were the ones who during the Winter Solstice hung apples and lit candles on Oak trees making them the most alike to our Christmas Trees.

The tradition of decorating a tree for Christmas began 400 years ago and spread through Europe during the XIXth Century.  In 1825 an American newspaper mentioned the trees decorated by German immigrants during the Christmas Season.

In 1842 Charles Minnegero introduced this tradition in Williamsburg, Virginia.  His Christmas Tree was decorated with lit candles and wrapped with popcorn strings.  It was in 1923 when President Calvin Coolidge established the tradition of lighting a Christmas Tree in the lawn of the White House.

We have now discovered may ways to dress a Christmas Tree with toys, ribbons, cookies, candy canes and many, many more.  It´s fun to be creative as well as to see what others have done.

There is no nicer feeling during the Christmas Season than to go through the streets  seeing through the windows of homes and  stores, on gardens, lawns and public places the beautiful, colorful, traditional Christmas Trees.