Every year, families around the world gather around a tree in their home. Some people buy fake trees others bring real ones in their homes. We, at the Magic SandBox, were wondering how this became a tradition for so many people.
It turns out that Germany is the place where this all began over 500 years ago. Wow! That’s a really long time.
During the beginning of the tradition, many people put lit candles on their trees to celebrate the light and hope of the season. Today, we typically put Christmas lights on the tree. Candles can be very dangerous, so we don’t recommend it.
People all around the world decorate their trees in traditional ways: Americans often put tinsel and candy canes on theirs; Japanese decorate theirs with small toys and origami swans; Norwegian parents typically decorate the Christmas tree to later reveal to the children and sing Christmas carols with them to celebrate it.
What do you do that is special to your family and Christmas tree? We’d love to see a photo of your tree!
For more information about Christmas tree traditions, visit the History Channel website: