The History of the Christmas Tree

When we think of Christmas, we simply couldn’t imagine it without a beautifully decorated tree with an abundance of presents sat beneath it. But where did it all begin? What is the history of the Christmas tree? Or should we say… the his-tree!

The first Christmas trees to have been brought into the home to celebrate the festive season were done so in Germany, in around 1605. Germans decorated their trees with edible items such as gingerbread or gold covered apples, and glassmakers made special little intricate ornaments too. At first, a figure of baby Jesus was put at the top of the tree, and over time this developed into an angel or fairy that told the shepherds about Jesus, or a star like the one the Wise Men saw.

In the UK, the first Christmas tree was suggested to have been set-up in the 1790’s by Queen Charlotte, the German wife of King George III, who used it to for a children’s party for rich and noble families. After this, many rich families adopted the new tradition.

Once the Victoria era began in 1837, Christmas trees became more and more popular. In 1840, Queen Victoria, her German husband Prince albert and their children were pictured around a decorated Christmas tree. It is this picture that is said to have made Christmas trees popular, fashionable and the start of a tradition in Britain.

Christmas Tree Decorations

Following on from the image of Queen Victoria, many businesses caught on to the potential of ornament’s on trees and by the 1890’s, shops were selling German imported ornaments made of lead and hand-blown glass. As time passed, tree decorations began to incorporate new materials like tinsel, silk and wool.

Christmas Tree Lights

Originally, Christmas trees were decorated with candles in order to look like the tree was covered in stars. Obviously, Christmas trees can very easily set on fire so once electricity was introduced in 1880, royals and presidents opted to use electric string lights instead. It was only in 1903 when string lights were commercially available that many could afford to use them and adopted them onto their own trees.

Nowadays, Christmas trees are a true tradition during the festive season. A large portion of the population put theirs up in the first few days of December to mark the start of the Christmas month… but remember – what goes up must come down! The last thing you want after Christmas is all the stress of removing it too, so be sure to register with us to have your tree collected and recycled!