christmas header graphic
free christmas clip art guide
free christmas clip art images

Which Came First: Santa or the Christmas Tree?
By Randy Stocklin
You think Santa Claus and decorated trees when you think Christmas, right? The Jolly One probably comes first as the number one symbol of the holiday, but there's no mistaking that Christmas trees are nearly just as important when it comes to celebrating the holiday right.

Santa Claus and Christmas trees are so intertwined, so connected, in how we celebrate, it makes one think that Santa maybe even invented the Christmas tree. After all, it's Santa who places everyone's presents underneath the tree. Maybe back in the old days, before trees, he used to place presents under children's beds and in the bathtub. And maybe eventually he got tired of it, and instead invented Christmas trees as a convenient and fun place for him to leave presents. Makes sense, right?

Maybe, but Santa had little to do with the real reason that Christmas trees came about. Sorry to disappoint you folks, but it was actually German Christians who started the Christmas tree celebration, way back in the 1500s. And as for decorating these trees, the story goes that one of the top Christians of them all, Martin Luther, started decorating his family's tree in the 1500s with lit candles. He got the idea one night walking home under the stars.

Then the idea really caught on in the mid-1800s, when the Queen of England and her children started decorating a tree for Christmas. Sketches of the royal family with their decorations got put in all the major newspapers, and soon every good Englishman was starting a new family tradition: decorating their house and home with colorful decorations and freshly smelling, beautifully green evergreen trees.

In America, however, we were a little bit slow, not just with decorating Christmas trees but with celebrating Santa Claus and anything else 'extra' in their Christmas festivities. That's because up until the very end of the 1800s, Americans saw Christmas as a very religious holiday. There was no room for chubby men in red suits, or bright decorations and candles, and even a Christmas tree. All Americans did back then was go to church service. Period.

But then the Queen of England enjoyed her Christmas tree. And many immigrants to the United States, especially the German ones, celebrated December 25 with trees, lights, and holiday cheer. Eventually, the fun caught on. In true American fashion, though, Americans not only took on the tradition of Christmas trees and decorations, they improved on it. Every thing had to be bigger, better, and more festive!

For example, at the turn of the 20th century, Europeans



tended to like their trees manageable, at only about the height of your typical sixth grader. But when Americans started catching on to the tree tradition, they decided they liked their trees big, so big that they touched the ceiling of their homes.

Then Americans took it one step further with the invention of electricity in homes. Trees were braided with strings of multicolored lights. Homes were covered with decorations of every color, blinking lights, and Santa Claus statues with his sleigh of reindeer. Even towns and cities started setting up Santa Claus displays around Town Hall, as well as Christmas trees that reached to the sky.
Randy Stocklin is the co-founder of the popular website http://www.mailfromsantaclaus.com, which offers personalized letters from Santa Claus

Here are some more christmas articles...

Christmas Decor Different Styles for Everyone


I have come to realize that Christmas decor can encompass anything. I have seen so many different types of decorating and love them all. I think that I just love the spirit of the individual Read more...
What Will Be the Hottest Christmas Toys of 2006?
By Noel Jameson
The hottest Christmas toys for 2006 will soon be hitting the shelves, and some are already on them. Remember the Furby, Tickle-Me Elmo, Beanie Babies and Cabbage Patch Kids? They were the hottest Read more...

My Take On Christmas


At Christmas time, a Unitarian Universalist can feel caught right between Jesus Christ and Santa Claus. Most Unitarian Universalists are uncomfortable with the notion that Jesus is the reason Read more...
Feathered Wreaths and Christmas Trees Ensure a More Natural Look
By Nancy Fitzgerald
Feathered Christmas trees are natural looking. Their branches aren't exactly the same. There is instead a natural variation in branch size. Feathered Christmas trees, whether artificial or real, look Read more...
free christmas clip art news:

Google