A Little Bit O' Christmas Tree History.

You know what's fascinating? Christmas trees. I mean, really. When is the last time you sat down and thought to yourself, "what started this trend of putting a tree in our living room every holiday season?" My guess is that the answer is "never". Or, if you have, it was probably a simple thought that came and went faster than the time it took you to read this sentence. But that's okay! We don't typically ask ourselves this question because the Christmas trees have become a universally understood and traditional part of our culture. We pay money to see them decorated in museums and parks, and we even sing songs about them, but questioning their origin? It's just something we don't think to do.

That said, I've taken the time to do a little research. After perusing several different websites, I found some incredibly interesting information and theories that are definitely worth taking the time to read:

"The most likely theory is that Christmas trees started with medieval plays. Dramas depicting biblical themes began as part of the church's worship, but by the late Middle Ages, they had become rowdy, imaginative performances dominated by laypeople and taking place in the open air. The plays celebrating the Nativity were linked to the story of creation—in part because Christmas Eve was also considered the feast day of Adam and Eve. Thus, as part of the play for that day, the Garden of Eden was symbolized by a "paradise tree" hung with fruit." (www.christianitytoday.com)

"The first first person to bring a Christmas Tree into a house, in the way we know it today, may have been the 16th century German preacher Martin Luther. A story is told that, one night before Christmas, he was walking through the forest and looked up to see the stars shining through the tree branches. It was so beautiful, that he went home and told his children that it reminded him of Jesus, who left the stars of heaven to come to earth at Christmas. Some people say this is the same tree as the 'Riga' tree, but it isn't! The Riga tree originally took place a few decades earlier. Northern Germany and Latvia are neighbors." (www.whychristmas.com)

"Egyptians particularly valued evergreens as a symbol of life's victory over death. They brought green date palm leaves into their homes around the time of the winter solstice." (www.christmastreehistory.net)

"Early Romans marked the solstice with a feast called the Saturnalia in honor of Saturn, the god of agriculture. The Romans knew that the solstice meant that soon farms and orchards would be green and fruitful. To mark the occasion, they decorated their homes and temples with evergreen boughs. In Northern Europe the mysterious Druids, the priests of the ancient Celts, also decorated their temples with evergreen boughs as a symbol of everlasting life. The fierce Vikings in Scandinavia thought that evergreens were the special plant of the sun god, Balder." (http://www.history.com/topics/history-of-christmas-trees)

I don't know about you, but I had no idea there was so much history behind such a common tradition!

What type of tree are you most fond of using? Real? Artificial? Highland? Blackbear? Why do you choose what you choose? Is there a history behind your choice? We'd love to hear!

And don't forget, we're currently having a big sale on all of our artificial trees, 5' & taller! The sale prices are ranging from 30%-50% so don't miss your chance to take advantage of these great deals!