The history of the Christmas tree goes back to the symbolic use of evergreens in ancient Egypt and Rome. It continued with the German tradition of candlelit Christmas trees first brought to America in the 1800s. Read on to discover the history of the Christmas tree, from the earliest winter solstice celebrations to Queen Victoria’s decorating habits and the lighting of the Rockefeller Center tree in New York City. The modern Christmas tree originated in Germany. But the Germans got it from the Romans, who got it from the Babylonians and the Egyptians. The Babylonians believe in the origin of the Christmas tree: “An old Babylonish fable told of an evergreen tree that sprang out of a dead tree stump.
Christmas trees do have a pagan origin as well. The use of evergreen trees to celebrate the winter season occurred before the birth of Christ. The earliest recording of the Christmas tree goes back to European pagans during the Saturn festival where they would use branches of evergreen fir trees to brighten their space with color to compensate for the dull winter atmosphere. The first recorded, decorated Christmas tree was in Riga, Latvia in 1510.
The modern Christmas tree, though, originated in western Germany. The main prop of a popular medieval play about Adam and Eve was a “paradise tree,” a fir tree hung with apples, which represented the Garden of Eden. The Germans set up a paradise tree in their homes on
December 25, is the religious feast day of Adam and Eve. Besides evergreens, other types of trees such as cherry and hawthorns were used as Christmas trees.
Decorating Christmas trees with small candles to light dates to the middle of the 17 century. Thomas Edison’s assistant, Edward Johnson came up with the idea of electric lights for Christmas trees in 1882. Christmas tree lights were first mass-produced in 1890. The official
The Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center began in 1933. Since 2004 the tree
has been topped with a 550-pound Swarovski Crystal star. And since 2007, the tree has been lit with 30,000 energy-efficient LED’s which are powered by solar panels. Since Christmas is rapidly approaching it is time for us to decorate our own tree while refreshing our tree-decorating skills. Here are some attractive decoration ideas for your Christmas tree:
Red and green colored balls for decorating the tree are a traditional
approach. These colors are best suited for the lush green of the tree. All you need to do is to cover the tree with ribbon, hang some glittery red and green balls, and add an angel topper and you have created a classic Christmas look.
Lighting the Christmas tree is particularly important. First, you must wrap the lights around the tree. Another approach is to hang the lights vertically up and down the tree. Choose which lights you prefer different options such as mini string lights, large bulb
lights, and icicle lights.
Another unique idea is to go for southern golden glam. Embellish the tree with shiny gold, add glittery baubles and the tree will look very elegant. Adding magnolia leaves is a very southern touch. Do not be afraid to add golden glass balls and vintage glass icicles too.
Create an old-fashioned but vintage tree by fashioning a tree as a cabin in the woods. Decorate the tree using natural materials like wood, yarn, fabric, and twine. This rustic natural Christmas tree is muted but gives the perfect classic Christmas vibes.
You can play with the color of the lights. Choose red, green, yellow, or any color. The sparkling lights will make your tree look heavenly.
If you want to go more elegant, use regal ribbon instead of garland.
You can also choose from colored beads, gold, or silver shiny metallic finish. Decorating the tree with ribbon will give your tree a customized look and it can be budget friendly too.
Do you want your tree to look sweet and yummy? Give the tree the cotton candy pink look and adorn it with donut ornaments. You can also add peppermint candy-shaped embellishments for an extremely sweet tree.
If you want to add drama to the whole Christmas look, go for an icy tree consisting of white and a slight touch of blue. You can go whole white with metallic ornaments that shine with a pop of blue color that will make it icy. You can add little owls and woodland
creatures to give the vibe of stillness and welcome a snowy New Year.
Now that you know a little of its history and have gotten a few design tips it is time to decorate your own tree. Remember to be creative. Whether you have an artificial tree, or you get a real tree you can make a tree your family will enjoy during the holiday season. We, at Scarano Architect, PLLC enjoy Christmas decorating too. Remember us for all your design and architectural needs.