Christmas Trees: History And Origins Of Why We Cut Down Trees For A Christian Holiday

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(Nagel Auktionen/Wikimedia Commons)

While evergreens have long played a part in pagan solstice celebrations, it seems strange that every year, families go off in search of the perfect tree to chop down and stick in their living rooms. Thanks to a confluence of Germanic history, Charlie Brown, and Prince Albert, however, this arboreal holiday tradition is here to stay.

The Tree Of Knowledge And Martin Luther

Greenery has always been important to Christmas. During the 15th and 16th centuries, the English decorated their homes with holly and ivy, and it's believed that one precursor to the Christmas tree was a Christmas pole that churches decorated with vines and leaves like a winter maypoleHowever, the real beginnings of the Christmas tree likely lie in Germany, not England.

During the "Paradise Plays" of the 15th century, Germans used an evergreen fir as a stand-in for the Tree of Knowledge that doomed Adam and Eve. The tree was usually decorated with apples, tinsel, and gingerbread, which were tied to the leaves in the same way that we trim trees now. It's believed that audiences were inspired by these decorated trees, and by 1605, having your very own blinged-out Tree of Knowledge became the hottest trend all over Europe, although some local laws prohibited cutting down pine trees.

The oldest Christmas market, located in Alsace, is believed to have been the first place Christmas trees were sold, but before that, families were on their own. Those who didn't chop down trees built small pyramids out of wood in their homes and decorated them with lights and evergreen leaves. The 16th-century protestant monk Martin Luther was actually the first to light his family's tree with candles, which became a Christmas tradition until electric string lights were invented and we realized we didn't have to risk burning ourselves to death every holiday season.