The Christmas Tree as an Icon

O Tannenbaum, O Tannenbaum, Wie treu sind deine Blätter!

The Christmas Tree is probably one of my favorite aspects of the secular part of the Christmas season.   The tree itself is majestic - with all of its lights and ornaments brightening up the living room. For my own part, I can stare at the tree for hours, as it serves as a sort of looking glass - bringing back a lot of cheerful childhood memories about Christmases past.

Perfect Tree

A lot of the ornaments on our tree have been in the family for a long time - some likely belonged to my Grandmother, while others are under 50 years old.  Our Angel is incredibly old and I can remember her flying atop of so many of our family Christmas Trees.  There are other tributes on the tree which make acknowledgement to relatives no longer with us, and even to pets that have passed away. 

So amongst the glass bulbs, handmade ornaments, snowman, stars, and images of Christmas, are the memories that go along with them.  And there is always room for more.

Origin of the Christmas Tree

In a lot of these essays, I've gone into quite a bit of detail about the history of traditions and elements of Christmas.  When it comes to the Christmas Tree, one could write hundreds of pages about its origin.  I'm going to attempt to bring the history down to a few paragraphs instead of drumming on for pages with facts and dates and assumptions about historical firsts.

Like many elements of the Christmas Holiday,  the Christmas Tree has a slight connection to early Pagan celebrations.   It's well known that Pagan celebrations included paying patronage to the natural beauty around them - plants, animals, and the forces of nature including the basic elements of fire, water, wind and Earth.  Therefore, the incorporation of trees into their celebrations is not unexpected.  As for whether or not you legitimately draw a connection between Pagan practices and the Christmas Tree - well, that's a different story.  Much of what I've read on this topic is purely anecdotal. 

Although, I readily agree that the early Christian Church was quite willing to incorporate many of the Pagan traditions into Christianity, and Christian practices.  After all, there was really no harm in doing so, as it made Christianity far more acceptable to the masses during periods of early Christian conversion.  I've written a lot about Yuletide in this respect, and its evolution to Christmastide. Obviously the transition wasn't perfect, but the connection to the celebrations of old were so strong that either became incorporated into the Christian teachings, or were given new symbolic meaning along the way. 

But if you think about it, the inclusion of trees, and the decorating of them as part of any cultural celebration in areas where large Pine and Evergreen Trees are found doesn't really seem extraordinary.   People used what was available to them in their own natural setting. What's more interesting is the ongoing use of the Christmas Tree in present day culture as a symbol of Christmas in places far and wide, including many places where trees do not grow or are not readily available.

First Documented Christmas Tree

It's possible that 
Church Reformer
Martin Luther
could have had
a Christmas Tree

The first decorated Christmas tree can be traced back to 1510 in Riga, Latvia. The practice of placing other natural items such as nuts and fruits, to spruce up the tree (no pun intended) was around Christmastime in the region.  The idea caught on and spread throughout northern Germany and into the Rhine region.  It's also alleged that Martin Luther attached small candles to the trees thus creating the first lit Christmas tree.

If indeed, Martin Luther did include decorative Christmas Trees as part of his Christian community's Christmas observance, then it would be considered a very significant point in history to ponder.  If you consider all of the reforms that Luther made to dramatically change the Christian and cultural landscape - such as unify Germans to speak a common language, translate Biblical text so it could be read by the masses, and offer a more inclusive and interactive worship for Christ's followers, then it would be no surprise that he would be given some credit for helping to formalize the Christmas Trees's acceptance, particularly amongst Protestant reformers and followers. 

Church records indicate that a Christmas Tree was used in the Cathedral of Strasbourg in 1539.  This is likely one of the first records that a Tree was used inside a Holy Structure as part of Christmas celebration.

By the 1600s, Christmas Trees were in use in mostly the Alsace Region as a part of the  public display.  The practice of how and when to decorate the Tannenbaum was unique to various regions.  And it wasn't until the 1700s that the practice was spread, mostly by Prussian Authorities, over Northern Germany.  Finally, by 1800 the Catholic Church recognized the Christmas Tree as part of the distinct ritual of the Christmas Eve Celebration.  And here we note that unlike what we do today in the United States - which is rush to put up the Tree shortly after Thanksgiving, the Christmas Tree then and still today in parts of Germany is put up on Christmas Eve and even decorated by parents so that children awake to find the tree adorned with lights, bulbs, and small presents.

Christmas Trees come to America

It's probably not a huge surprise to learn that with German settlement of North America came the Christmas Tree and many of the Christmas practices still being used today. 

There are two documented recognitions of the first Christmas Trees in America.  The first was in 1747 in Bethlehem Pennsylvania, said to have been erected by a German Moravian Settlement.  But it was claimed to be not a decorated tree per se, but rather a number of large pine branches placed over a wooden structure shaped like a pyramid.


Hessian Troops likely brought
the Christmas Tree tradition
to the American Colonies in the
early 1770s

The second reference is more likely evidence of the use of a real Christmas Tree in the modern sense, and is actual local to the Nutmeg State.  As it is well, known, during the American Revolution, the British Army hired well-trained, battle ready German forces (known as Hessian Troops) to assist them to quell the war with the colonies.  A Hessian solider, who was taken prisoner, and placed under house arrest at the Noden-Reed homestead, was said to have erected the first Christmas Tree.

At the end of the Revolution, many Hessians opted to stay in America, and settled areas that had a large German speaking populations, such as Pennsylvania.  No doubt that this also had some reinforcement of German traditions on American society.

There are dozens of other stories that claim to be firsts, but since many occur in the 1800s, its unlikely that they hold water as the the "first", although there may be some distinction between one or another, that each town historian (or tourist bureau) may find it worthy of claiming some rival challenge to those that I've posted above which are likely original. 

There is a footnote of sorts to the American story.  We also know that Christmas Trees might have appeared much sooner as an American Christmas tradition had not Puritans - who were well aware of the European-Germanic practice, banned the Christmas Tree in many settlements in New England.  The Puritans saw the tree as Paganistic and a form of idolatry which would not be tolerated whatsoever.  Not to be outdone, the Roman Crucifix also fell in the same category to most Puritan sects as did the Tree.

Christmas Trees come to England (finally)


The beautiful Queen
Charlotte of Mecklenburg

Strangely enough, the Christmas Tree seems to have been in full use in most of central Europe, including northern states like Denmark, Holland, and lower states such as Austria and the Hungarian region by at least the 1800s (likely much sooner as I've mentioned above), yet England seemed to have not taken on the tradition until quite late.  And once again it was the Germans who exported the tradition westward to their neighboring nation-state.

As we know, England's George III married Queen Charlotte of Mecklenberg-Strelitz and the Queen introduced the English Royal family to the tradition of the Christmas Tree in the 19th Century.  Historical diaries also show that as a child at age 13, Queen Victoria made reference to seeing presents around the Christmas Trees on Christmas Eve in 1832.

Godey's Lady's Book
Engraving (1850)

In 1841, Victoria married Prince Philip, and the Christmas Tree became a formal part of the English Christmas landscape.  Further a woodcarving with the Royal Family surrounded by Christmas Trees at Windsor Castle was circulated, and copied ushering the tradition of Christmas Trees which was in turn adopted by the masses.  The image was printed in the book Godey's Lady's Book around 1850.

The same printed image was also distributed in the United States, and modified - removing the mustache of Prince Philip.

We can thank both Queen Charlotte and Queen Victoria for bringing the tradition of the Christmas Tree to Great Britain, and helping to cement its symbolism into the western Christmas tradition.  The republishing of the above mentioned engraving in American newspapers and periodicals likely helped to spread the impression of the Christmas Tree in one's home as an established custom.

Final Note on Christmas Trees

Today, we proudly display our Christmas Trees in our homes and in public places  such as town greens and in town buildings (although recently and quite markedly after hundreds of years of wide-spread acceptance of their public display, anti-Christian groups have forced its removal from public areas).  In most normal regions of the United States, the tradition of Christmas Trees continues, bringing smiles to the young and old.  Whether the trees are freshly cut evergreens, or those of the artificial variety - we all agree that Christmas would never be the same without them!

The original blog article can found at my blog Random Selection which is located at  www.randsel.blogspot.com