There is so much beauty and artistry that go into the holiday season. Wrapping presents, hanging lights, building gingerbread houses. Much of what we do involves a certain level of a flair for color, cohesion, planning, and that little extra something that we try to highlight in this section each month.
But few holiday traditions are as sacred and as personalized as decorating a Christmas tree. Long before Christianity came into the picture, the winter solstice was appreciated by cultures near and far as being the shortest night of the year. Evergreens were seen as a symbol that while the sun was gone, life could still bloom and persist. Festivals honoring this optimism have been held for centuries, many centering around these green furry trees.
Enter Christianity. In the mid-1500’s is where we see the first recorded uses of trees for Christian-specific celebrations. Artificial roses were added in Latvia as a symbol for the Virgin Mary. Germans adorned their tree stems with bright apples, gilded nuts, and strings of red paper. It has been speculated that Protest reformer Martin Luther was the first to add candles to his tree, reminiscent of the lights we now use. But it wasn’t until 1846, when Queen Victoria and Prince Albert published an image of their decorated tree that it really took off as a world-wide phenomenon.
Now, we see trees of all sizes and styles. Uni-color, multi-color, sports or movie themed, expensively adorned, handmade ornaments, bare bones, weighed down with hundreds of items. There is no one right way to do it, which is part of the beauty of the process.
This tradition looks different not only from house to house, but also across countries. In Mexico, for example where it’s more of a luxury to fine an evergreen pine, it’s common to buy a small, artificial tree (arbolito) in place of a large, looming, live one. Some Brazilians decorate their trees with small fluffs of cotton to symbolize the snow that their family will likely never see naturally. Christmas is a summer holiday in South Africa, where many opt to hang tinsel on their windows instead. Germans are sometimes known for hiding pickles in their trees for their kids to find on CHristmas morning as a sign of luck!
No matter how you do it, decorating a Christmas tree is a fun, engaging form of art and creativity that many families choose to partake in. The beauty of customizing it and making it special to those in your home is part of the magic of the season.
CHRISTMAS TREE HISTORY
CHRISTMAS TREE HISTORY II
CHRISTMAS TREE DECORATING TIPS