A Brief History of the Christmas Tree

Long before the Christmas tree became a wintertime household staple, it was a thing of pure magic: a wild, herbaceous thing hauled in from the forest to spread its bounteous cheer indoors. Here, the need-to-know facts about Christmas tree history.

Ancient Rome: Every solstice, Romans of yore dotted their homes and churches with evergreen boughs as a nod to the coming fruitful spring.

16th Century Germany: After being awed by the stars above on a wintertime stroll, Protestant reformer Martin Luther glamorized the humble tree by hauling it indoors—and adding twinkling candles—to wow his family. A tradition was born, albeit slowly.

1659: The General Court of Massachusetts put a law on the books that fined citizens for any frivolous observance of Christmas (a la decorations, carols, and, yes, Christmas trees). 

1840s America: Christmas trees were rebuffed by buttoned-up Americans, who viewed them as pagan symbols at a most sacred time (though some Pennsylvania Germans erected them in their own homes). We’re glad those days are over.

1848: This year, Queen Victoria was depicted in the London press encircling a Christmas tree with her burgeoning family—and the custom of a Christmas tree became an instant “must do” in fashionable homes across the world.

1890s: Finally, the Christmas tree is de rigueur in American society—where families opted for towering trees that nearly scraped their ceilings (in Europe, the preference was for wee versions, just about four feet high).

1931: At the height of the Great Depression at New York City’s Rockefeller Center, a blasting foreman and hard-working Italian immigrant named Cesidio Perruzza took up a collection for a tree with his fellow construction workers to thank the company for hiring them. Today the Rockefeller tree itself is a New York icon—with the modern-day addition of Swarovski crystals and more than 25,000 twinkling lights. 

Source: https://www.history.com/topics/christmas/history-of-christmas-trees