It's Christmas Spirit Week here at Debbie's Book Bag! I will be doing some posts that have a Christmas theme, as well as doing some reviews of a few holiday themed books. I know you don't all celebrate Christmas, so one day is devoted to other holidays during this time of the year.
This evenings theme is: Christmas Tree's
How did the evergreen tree become the tree of choice? Who first started decorating the tree? What kind of tree's do people use to celebrate Christmas?
There are several beliefs as to the origins of the Christmas tree. It is traditionally believed that the evergreen tree is seen as symbol of life and a reminder that the winter would soon pass. The evergreen did not dry up and die as other tree's did in winter and that perpetuated the belief that the evergreen meant good luck.
The Scandinavian's are credited with being the first people to bring a "Christmas Tree" inside during the winter as a reminder that the spring was on it's way. But, the German Saxons were the first to light their tree's and decorate them with trinkets.
The first Christmas Tree recorded in England, happened in 1841 when Queen Victoria's husband, a German born Prince set up a tree in Windsor Castle. German immigrants brought the tradition to America, where it took a little while to catch on, but as we see today, there are very few houses that don't put a Christmas Tree during the holiday season.
There are many different kinds of evergreens that are traditionally used as Christmas Tree's from the Douglas Fir to the Blue Spruce. Some people even use the Cedar Tree as their Christmas Tree. So long as the tree fits in the house and it's an evergreen and the season is Christmas, I suppose it can be called a Christmas Tree... we generally have a live tree, whether it's a full Fir or a Charlie Brown pine, we enjoy it very much!
What kind of tree do you have? Do have Christmas traditions for decorating and having fun with your tree?