Did you know that the history of Christmas tree is as colorful as its appearance? Its origin is rich with various legends and Biblical interpretations, Christian practices, love stories, miracles, and international customs.

Germany is attributed with beginning the tradition of Christmas trees; in the 16th century, devout Christians brought adorned trees into their homes. Traditionally, people decorated their evergreens with candle lights, ornaments, garlands, glitter, and candy canes. An alternative to the Christmas tree was called a Christmas pyramid, which was made of stacked wood in the shape of a tree, and decorated with evergreens and candles.

Historians believe that the 16^th-century Protestant reformer Martin Luther was behind the idea of incorporating candles to a tree. An anecdote about him says that on his way home one wintry Christmas Eve, Martin Luther was overwhelmed by the radiance of the stars, twinkling amidst evergreens. Inspired by what he saw, he shared the story to his children and brought back the view for his family, by putting up a tree in the living room. He incorporated lighted candles around it in celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ.

Myths and Legends

1. Saint Boniface and the Tree. In 722, Saint Boniface is said to have met some pagans who were about to sacrifice a child at the foot of a huge oak tree. To stop the sacrifice, he cut down the tree, where miraculously, on the same spot, a Fir tree instantly grew. The saint then enlightened everyone that the divine evergreen, with its branches pointing to heaven, was a sacred tree of the child Jesus Christ, which stands for the assurance of everlasting life.
2. Queen Victoria’s Romance and the Tree. Another unforgettable story from Germany is about Queen Victoria who used to regularly visit relatives in Germany. It was there that she fell in love with Prince Albert. Upon marriage, the couple settled in England to raise their family. Since then, Prince Albert decorated a Christmas tree as a family tradition. From that time, around 1830, the people of England imitated the custom of tree decorating as a symbol of their devotion for their Queen.
3. Middle Ages Germans and Scandinavians and the Tree.  History says that in Germany and Scandinavia during the Middle Ages, people used to place evergreen trees indoors or outdoors in anticipation of the coming spring.
4. Pagan Traditions and the Tree. It is believed that prior to the spread of Christianity, green trees had an exceptional significance during the winter season. Pagans hung evergreen boughs on their doors and windows as a symbol of hope for the spring. Traditionally, evergreens were used by many countries to drive away evil spirits, illnesses, and ghosts.
   The winter solstice in the Northern hemisphere, where the shortest day and longest night of the year is experienced, usually falls on December 21st or December 22nd.  Correspondingly, those who worshipped a sun god believed that winter was the time when their sun god gets sick. Solstice was regarded by the worshippers as the moment when the sun god renewed his vigor; hence, they mark their celebration by displaying evergreen branches in their homes.
   Even the ancient Egyptians who worshipped the pagan god Ra used to fill their homes with green palms at the Solstice; they believed that, at Solstice, Ra began to recover from illness and regained strength. Analogously, early Romans celebrated the Solstice with a feast called Saturnalia in honor of the god of agriculture Saturn. The Romans decorated their homes and temples with green boughs as a sign of hope that soon the woods would be green and fruitful. Incidentally, the ferocious Vikings in Scandinavia believed that evergreens were the special plant of Balder, their sun god.  Similarly, the mysterious Druids in the northern Europe who were the priests of the ancient Celts, adorned their temples with evergreen boughs as a representation of everlasting life.
5. America and the Tree. When the Christmas tree was introduced in the United States in 19^th century, the idea was not readily accepted by most Americans, as they considered it as a pagan symbol. The first recorded Christmas tree display in the U.S. was in the 1830s, erected by some German pioneers in Pennsylvania. Shortly, in the early 20th century, Americans started adorning their trees primarily with homemade embellishments, while the German-Americans used apples, nuts, and marzipan cookies to decorate their trees. Then Christmas lights came in. Soon came our parents’ generation, when Christmas trees became a must-have in every American home.

Today, we continue the Christmas tree tradition and we create our own chapter of Christmas tree history. Irrespective of myths about its origin, may we redefine our Christmas trees and make it a symbol of life, joy, and love in our homes and in our hearts!

About Carrie Chen:

Carrie is the VP forMarketing at Treetopia, the ultimate Christmas store for fun and funky artificial Christmas trees.

story by Jess Chamberlain
photos by Thomas J. Story
Source: Sunset Magazine

This is not a story about a poorly decorated home in need of a makeover and a splash of holiday cheer. Owners Nadia Bizzotto and David Youngson are themselves in the design business (she founded the handbag company Two Loops; he’s a sales agent for the likes of Kikkerland), and their two-year-old house in British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley is cleanly modern—even their four whippets and two cats hew to the prevailing earth-tones palette.

But when their friend Paige Russell, a ceramist, asked to help deck their place for the season, they were thrilled. “We love Paige’s homemade sensibility,” Nadia says. “She shows us how warmth can still be modern,” adds David. Just call Paige their holiday fairy.

DIY holiday cards

How to: With a 1/16-inch hole punch, notch the top center of the front of a blank folded card, then make seven notches along the bottom. Behind the top notch, attach the start of some embroidery floss to the card with a small piece of double-sided tape.

Wrap the floss around the front of the card seven times, so that it lies in a different bottom notch with each loop. Cut the floss and attach the end to the piece of double-sided tape. Print a holiday greeting using a date/number stamp and ink pad.

Get it: Large teapot ($145) and cup ($20) from the Spout collection by Paige Russell.

Wintry tablescape

Create a merry scene along your dinner table runner.

How to: Punch stars out of card stock using a star craft punch. Sprinkle them along the runner, and intersperse miniature trees among candles. Porcelain and wood beasts, inspired by Old World ceramic collectibles, double as placecards—Paige writes the names on them with a colored pencil. A small bowl of nuts sits forkside at each place setting, accompanied by a nutcracker (and a metal jack, just for kicks).

Get it: Coupe plates ($32 each) and bowls ($27 each) by Heath Ceramics. Spout dishes ($48/set of 4), Müzo Collectibles animals ($24 each), and the Woods trees ($15 each) by Paige Russell.

Advent tree

The calendar meets the holiday tree—and it’s not just for kids. Get full instructions and templates for making your own–including tutorial videos from Paige–here.

Simple snowflakes

Try a newfangled take on the traditional grade-school project.

How to: Plan your design on paper (figuring out how many snowflakes you want, and where), then mark it on a wall. Punch circles out of card stock with a circle craft punch. For a wooden or textured wall, place thumbtacks where you want the dots to be, put a piece of removable double-sided tape on each tack, and place your dots. For smooth surfaces, put a piece of tape on the back of each dot, and place.

Get it: Supplies for all these projects (craft punches, card stock, tape) from craft stores like Michaels.

Record display

Album covers and song lyrics— a tribute to the couple’s love of music—adorn the entry wall.

How to: Print a lyric from each album on white paper, then mount it on foam board with double-sided tape. Trim sides. Attach a strip of foam board high on the back of each album cover with double-sided tape. Hang each on a wall with a single small nail (under the center of foam strip). Place lyric cards next to the albums with double-sided tape.

Get it: Find old albums at flea markets, antiques stores, or on eBay.

By Ayn-Monique Tetreault-Rooney Klahre
Source: Woman’s Day

When it comes to decor—or anything, really—small changes can make a big difference. By using just a little bit of color, crafts and nature to your advantage, you can easily and swiftly infuse your holiday headquarters with cheer—on the cheap! Here, get a few simple ideas:

Simple Touches
No need to buy decorations! Look for ways to freshen up what’s already in your home.

1. Hot-glue leaves and pinecones from your garden or berry sprays from a crafts store onto a plain wreath for an organic-looking update.

2. Mix ornaments in with everyday objects to dress up window ledges and mantels. Just don’t go overboard: Geometric shapes in the same color family look best.

Add Sparkle
A dash of something shiny will give your room a holiday glow.

1. Spray-paint leaves, pinecones or silk flowers in radiant silver or gold. Display them in vases of varying heights, grouped in threes or fives.

2. Create a tabletop Christmas tree by stacking stemmed cake platters and candy dishes. Fill it in with green ornaments and trimming.

Adorn the Basics
The things you use every day will feel special if you add a touch of something seasonal.

1. Take a couple of spools of ribbon for a walk around the house. Narrow ribbon can jazz up a decanter or vase, while wide ribbon can be used as a tieback for a curtain or looped around a pillow with a festive bow on the front.

2. Any clear glass vessel can display holiday garnishes. Fill pillar holders with greenery (try holly, pine needles or pinecones). Or use seasonal fruit, such as cranberries or kumquats, to add bright color to a decorative bowl.

3. Simple brown bags are perfect for gifts from the kitchen; a little trimming and a sweet note make them extra-special. Use decorative scissors to finish the opening, then tie them closed with a gingham pattern for a casual country feel.

More Ideas

1. Do a quick sweep of your living and dining rooms and pull out anything colorful that’s not red or green. Your holiday decor will pop against a neutral background.

2. Bring the outdoors in by trading a painting for a wreath or garland. Or make swags of smaller boughs and needles with ribbon; hang them from the top of a mirror or the back of a chair.

3. Look in your crafts drawer for instant updates. Wrap colorful paper around votive holders, use glitter glue on dull ornaments or string big beads around the base of a vase.

Source: Christmas2010.net

Everyone loves the thought of an elegant holiday, but without a background in Christmas decorating, it’s hard to know exactly how to go about making your own holiday have that elegant look.

With the tips listed below, you can have the kind of décor you’ve always wanted. Elegance equals unity. This is where many people go wrong when decorating for Christmas. They simply use too many colors – and while that might turn out to be eye catching, it’s distracting and busy.

You want the colors to work together and cool colors are always more elegant than warmer ones. For example, red and green decorations, while traditional Christmas colors, when placed together, don’t project an air of elegance.

The top two choices for elegant color are gold or white or gold and white together. You need to go with those colors throughout your home – one smooth color scheme. It may seem like white won’t look very inviting or seem very much like Christmas, but wait until you have it all together and you’ll be amazed.

On your walkway outside, use white luminaries along the walkway and leading up to the front steps or porch. For elegance in electric lighting, never pick the bigger lights. Opt for the smaller ones inside – and yes, even outside your home.

Have you ever noticed how some restaurants use those tiny white Christmas lights all year round? That’s because those lights project an elegant dining experience. When you’re placing lights on your tree, use the smaller lights and use as many strands as your tree can comfortably hold.

Instead of choosing poinsettias as your flower to decorate with, choose dozens of white roses and put them in delicate glass vases throughout your house. For a table centerpiece, place white pillar candles on a mirror base. Cover the edges of the base with gold or white ribbon.

Decorate the corners of the rooms with different wrapped gifts. Make sure the gifts are wrapped in gold paper and tied with white ribbon bows or do the opposite. Wrap the gifts in white paper and use gold ribbon to form the bows.

Take a collection of Christmas balls in white (or gold if you’re working with two colors) and place them in a large, heavy glass bowl. Place the bowl in the center of your coffee table.

Replace all of the different colored guest towels in each of your bathroom with thick white ones. Lay a small hand towel beside each sink and place a gold ribbon around the middle of it.

When it’s time to serve the meal, serve the food on only white dishes or gold ones. If you use place cards, use white cards with gold calligraphy writing. When you’re finished with your Christmas decorating, your home will have that elegance you’ve been striving to achieve.