How did the tradition spread across the world? It’s hard to know exactly why, but the decoration of Christmas Trees became a popular activity throughout Germany and France by 1605. The practice was brought to the US by German settlers, but was met with resistance by the Puritans due to the pagan origins of the tradition. It wasn’t until the 1830s that the Christmas Tree to be displayed in the US was reported. Prince Albert popularized the tradition in England by placing a decorated tree in Buckingham Palace. It caught on in the US when a picture of the tree was published in Godey’s Lady’s Book.

As the tradition of decorating Christmas Trees grew around the world, there were also some unintended consequences. The practice was having a negative impact on forest in Germany, so the Germans created artificial goose-feather trees in the 1880s. The first Christmas tree farm was established in 1901 in New Jersey and grew Norway Spruce trees near Trenton for people to buy. In the 1930s, the Addis Housewares Company used surplus materials of toilet bowl brush products to create artificial Christmas Trees. Eventually the popular bristle trees were replaced by aluminum then plastic variations.

So as you can see, the Christmas Tree does not belong to any particular group or belief, but is shared and intertwined with many. Whatever reason(s) you chose to put up and decorate a Christmas tree, we should keep in mind of its rich and varied history, and celebrate the season in the right spirit.