Changes

While Christmas trees are clearly associated with the Tree of Life from Old Norse mythology, other aspects of Christmas may also link. For instance, Yule trees may have been decorated with lights, particularly candles, to symbolize the stars. Other decorations may have been put around trees in the Old Norse tradition as a way to remember those who died during the year. These decorations could have been personal items or implements that were simply hung around the tree. Gifts placed under or near the Yule trees may have symbolized gifts given to the gods as a token of thanks and offering for blessing in the coming year. Caroling derives from Yule singing and celebration. The burning of Yule logs was applied to symbolize the life giving force of fire (Figure 1). The idea was that the sun after solstice would begin to gain strength, similar to a sick person gaining strength. As the sun gained strength from the spark present in the Yule logs, then it would renew the land and trees would blossom in the spring, giving life and providing for people.<ref>For more on Christmas traditions and their origins, see: Dues, G. (2000). <i>Catholic customs & traditions: a popular guide (Rev. ed)</i>. Mystic, CT: Twenty-Third Publications, pg. 56.</ref>

By 1605, the city of Strasburg was recorded to have Christmas trees decorating places and homes with other associations that we now consider part of the Christmas tradition, such as chocolate covered apples, sweets, and other foods and presents. In the 17th century, many places continued to shun the Christmas tree, seeing it as a symbol of paganism. However, the popularity of the trees never went away. In particular, Christmas was seen as a solemn event by many of the clergy and reveling and feasting, derived from Yule, went against the ideas of Christmas to many. Perhaps to accommodate a strong popular demand, some of the clergy began associating Christmas trees with Christ and the coming of Jesus to save the world. Singing Christmas songs celebrating the birth of Christ replaced drinking and other songs sung during Yule. However, throughout much of the 17th and 18th centuries, only mostly in Germany was Christmas associated with Christmas trees.<ref>For more on the early history of Christmas trees and its controversy, see: Roy, C. (2005). <i>Traditional festivals: a multicultural encyclopedia</i>. Santa Barbara, Calif: ABC-CLIO, pg. 69.</ref>

Credit for spreading the idea of a Christmas tree as a way to decorate the home during Christmas likely originates with Queen Victoria of Britain and German settlers who began to migrate to North America. Queen Victoria married a German husband, Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, who had in his traditions the use of Christmas trees during Christmas. Victoria herself was of German origin and had Christmas trees in her home as she grew up. After she was married, Queen Victoria began to circulate images of her family celebrating Christmas, with the Christmas tree shown, helping to make the imagery popular among the British public (Figure 2). As the royal family in Britain had a public role as symbols of the country, people began to mimic their practices. This included Christmas trees, where wealthier classes and up and coming classes began to decorate their homes with Christmas trees in response to the royal family's use of the trees. Soon charities even were established that provided poorer children with access to seeing or having Christmas trees. Thus, many classes soon began adopting Christmas trees and also associating Christmas with children and gift giving, which derived from the Norse tradition used in Germany. As Victoria's children married into other European royal families, this also helped spread the use of Christmas trees.<ref>For more on Victoria and the spread of the Christmas tree tradition, see: Rappaport, H. (2003). <i>Queen Victoria: a biographical companion</i>. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, pg. 91.</ref>

In North America, German soldiers under British command, already by the late 18th century during the American Revolution, began to use Christmas trees in Quebec and perhaps in the Colonies themselves, although most Revolutionaries would not have decorated their homes with Christmas trees. The first recorded use of a Christmas tree in the United States may have been by a Hessian soldier imprisoned in Connecticut in 1777. By the early 19th century, Christmas trees began to become more common in the United States as more German immigrants migrated came to the United States. With technology rapidly developing in the late 19th century as the Industrial Revolution developed, electricity became available in many places. This led to the idea of decorating trees with electric lights by Edward H. Johnson, a vice president in the Edison Electrical Light Company, where in 1882 he decorated his Christmas tree at home with electrical lights in New York City.<ref>For more on developments of Christmas in North America, see: Baines, D. (1997). <i>Christmas Traditions and Legends</i>. Bookpartners. </ref>

Initially, Christmas trees were decorated with apples, sweets and sometimes other ornaments. The round shapes of apples, in particular, were continued as glass and later plastic balls were used to decorate trees. In Germany, glass making industries began to specialize in colorful round and other types of decorations that were applied to trees, which then spread in popularity in other regions. The origin of tree-toppers or decorations at the top of the tree likely originates from the Victorian period, when the Queen and her family decorated their tree with an angel and later traditions began to use stars.<ref>For more on Christmas tree decorations and their change, see: Brenner, R. (1985). <i>Christmas past: a collectors’ guide to its history and decorations</i>. West Chester, Pa: Schiffer Pub.</ref>