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→Associations with Christmas
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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>
[[File:Hillingford Yule Log.jpg|thumbnail|Figure 1. Yule logs derive from the Old Norse tradition of celebrating Yule.]]
During the late Medieval period and early modern period, by around the 16th century, we begin to see the use of Christmas trees more frequently or in direct association with Christmas. After the Protestant Reformation, Christmas trees in Germany began to be brought into the home and placed as a way to remember life and renewal along with Christmas. Although nobody knows for sure why, one possibility is that the clergy began to see Christmas trees as heathen practice from pre-Christian traditions, forcing people to bring them to their homes to hide them. In other traditions, Martin Luther himself is credited with decorating Christmas trees with candles to symbolize the starts and making them popular as part of the home, but this might not be likely given the fact evergreens were decorated already during the Old Norse period and in their earlier traditions.<ref>For more on the origin of Christmas trees and Christmas, see: Brunner, B. (2012). <i>Inventing the Christmas tree</i>. New Haven: Yale University Press.</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>
==Modern Developments==
