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→Some Well Known Traditions
Christmas lights derive from the use of candle lights on Christmas trees, which was popular among Germany families as early as the 18th century, although in pre-Christian traditions decorating trees was also done. Initially, lights were candles and it was only in the late 19th century that the first Christmas trees with electrical lights were used, with Grover Cleveland being the first president to light an electric Christmas tree in the White House. However, Christmas lights began to spread outside of the tree by the 1940s and 1950s, as the production of lights became cheaper and new forms of lights were experimented with. Initially decorations focused on mantles and edges of houses, but soon this spread to other areas.
Christmas trees also have a likely pre-Christian link or influence, as in European and Near East cultures trees were sometimes seen as sacred, including evergreen trees that continued being green in the winter months. They were also celebrated at the time of Yule, which was a pre-Christian northern European celebration around the time of Christmas. The modern Christmas tree, however, may derive from the 15th century, when guildhalls in towns in Latvia and Germany began to put decorated trees in public places for people to enjoy and symbolize Christmas. The Protestant reformation may have inspired the idea of putting a Christmas tree in the home, as it allowed this symbol to be associated with Protestants, whereas Catholic families began to have nativity scenes used more commonly.
==Christmas Foods and Drinks==