In Scandinavia, the Norse celebrated Yule from December 21, the winter solstice, through January. In recognition of the return of the sun, fathers and sons would bring home large logs, which they would set on fire. The people would feast until the log burned out, which could take as many as 12 days. The Norse believed that each spark from the fire represented a new pig or calf that would be born during the coming year. Christmas tree". Encyclopædia Britannica. 2012. Archived from the original on 30 October 2012 . Retrieved 2 November 2012. Yanofsky, David (21 December 2017). "What the Christmas tree industrial complex looks like from space". Quartz. Archived from the original on 24 December 2017 . Retrieved 24 December 2017. Typically, real Christmas trees last five to six weeks if they are looked after properly, so it’s important you buy your Christmas tree at the right time to avoid a sad-looking, needleless tree for Santa to leave the presents under.

Gulevich, Tanya (30 October 2023). Encyclopedia of Christmas and New Year's Celebrations. Omnigraphics. p.168. ISBN 9780780806252. Biello, David (4 December 2008). "I'm Dreaming of a Green Christmas (Tree)" ( podcast transcript). Scientific American. Archived from the original on 6 December 2008 . Retrieved 22 December 2008. By holding Christmas at the same time as traditional winter solstice festivals, church leaders increased the chances that Christmas would be popularly embraced, but gave up the ability to dictate how it was celebrated. By the Middle Ages, Christianity had, for the most part, replaced pagan religion. a b c d e f Hewitt, James (2007). The Christmas Tree. Lulu.com. pp.33–36. ISBN 978-1430308201. [ self-published source] Ball, Ann (1997). Catholic Traditions in Crafts. Our Sunday Visitor. p.19. ISBN 978-0-87973-711-5. [ permanent dead link]Although the tradition of decorating churches and homes with evergreens at Christmas was long established, [50] the custom of decorating an entire small tree was unknown in Britain until some two centuries ago. The German-born Queen Charlotte introduced a Christmas tree at a party she gave for children in 1800. [51] The custom did not at first spread much beyond the royal family. [b] Queen Victoria as a child was familiar with it and a tree was placed in her room every Christmas. In her journal for Christmas Eve 1832, the delighted 13-year-old princess wrote: [53] Rudolph, “the most famous reindeer of all,” was the product of Robert L. May’s imagination in 1939. The copywriter wrote a poem about the reindeer to help lure customers into the Montgomery Ward department store. Sutton’s saturated watercolors create rich, folk-art-style scenes that reflect the classic spirit of the story. Its gentle, uplifting message is well suited for holiday sharing, while the beautiful illustrations invite lingering looks. Readers will be happy to see that the little tree’s story doesn’t end with the Christmas season, but extends into a fulfilling future. Manchester's Gift To Lille ... (FROM G. WARD PRICE.)' The Times (London, England),21 December 1918, p.7

The History of the Christmas Tree at Windsor". Archived from the original on 24 December 2011 . Retrieved 3 January 2013.

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Demand Grows for Upside Down Christmas Tree" (Audio). All Things Considered. NPR. 9 November 2005. Archived from the original on 18 December 2008 . Retrieved 21 December 2008. Sandborn, Dixie (2 December 2016). "Real Christmas trees: History, facts and environmental impacts". canr.msu.edu/ . Retrieved 1 October 2021. a b c Perry, Joe (27 September 2010). Christmas in Germany: A Cultural History. University of North Carolina Press. p. 32. ISBN 9780807899410. A chronicle from Strasbourg, written in 1604 and widely seen as the first account of a Christmas tree in German-speaking lands, records that Protestant artisans brought fir trees into their homes in the holiday season and decorated them with "roses made of colored paper, apples, wafers, tinsel, sweetmeats, etc." [...] The Christmas tree spread out in German society from the top down, so to speak. It moved from elite households to broader social strata, from urban to rural areas, from the Protestant north to the Catholic south, and from Prussia to other German states. Belk, Russell (2000). "Materialism and the Modern U.S. Christmas". Advertising & Society Review. 1. doi: 10.1353/asr.2000.0001. S2CID 191578074. Archived from the original on 6 May 2014 . Retrieved 5 October 2014. Main article: Podłaźniczka The hanging of a podłaźniczka during Christmastide is an old Polish folk custom (2020).

Arguably there is no right or wrong time to decorate for the holidays, but it appears that the anticipation of Christmas is getting earlier and earlier each year!’ says Ash Read, founder of Living Cozy.

Foley, Michael P. (2005). Why Do Catholics Eat Fish on Friday?. Palgrave Macmillan. p.18. ISBN 978-1-4039-6967-5. [ permanent dead link] In 1819, best-selling author Washington Irving wrote The Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon, gent., a series of stories about the celebration of Christmas in an English manor house. The sketches feature a squire who invited the peasants into his home for the holiday. In contrast to the problems faced in American society, the two groups mingled effortlessly. In Irving’s mind, Christmas should be a peaceful, warm-hearted holiday bringing groups together across lines of wealth or social status. Irving’s fictitious celebrants enjoyed “ancient customs,” including the crowning of a Lord of Misrule. Irving’s book, however, was not based on any holiday celebration he had attended—in fact, many historians say that Irving’s account actually “invented” tradition by implying that it described the true customs of the season. 'A Christmas Carol' This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sourcesin this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( December 2012) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message) The use of fire retardant allows many indoor public areas to place real trees and be compliant with code. Licensed applicants of fire retardant solution spray the tree, tag the tree, and provide a certificate for inspection.

GERMAN CHRISTMAS TREES. The nobility and gentry are respectfully informed that these handsome JUVENILE CHRISTMAS PRESENTS are supplied and elegantly fitted up ...": Times [London, England] 20 December 1842, p.1. Bear in mind whether you are opting for a real or artificial tree, though. The warm atmosphere of a home isn’t ideal for a real tree, so ask yourself how long you want to keep up with the watering it needs to stay looking full. You may want to hold off on putting up the Christmas tree for a little while as this will be regular chore. Does putting up your Christmas tree make you happier? Evergreen trees (and other evergreen plants) have traditionally been used to celebrate winter festivals (pre-Christian/pagan and Christian) for thousands of years. Pre-Christian/Pagans used branches of evergreen trees to decorate their homes during the winter solstice, as it made them think of the spring to come. The Romans used Fir Trees to decorate their temples at the festival of Saturnalia. However, they were quite different to what we now think of as Christmas Trees. a b Lamb, Martha Joanna (1883). The Magazine of American History, Volume X. Historical Publication Co. p.473. The Christmas Tree originated in the Protestant districts of Germany.Neer, Katherine (December 2006). "How Christmas Trees Work". howStuffWorks. Archived from the original on 24 December 2008 . Retrieved 21 December 2008. The debate about the environmental impact of artificial trees is ongoing. Generally, natural tree growers contend that artificial trees are more environmentally harmful than their natural counterparts. [131] However, trade groups such as the American Christmas Tree Association, continue to refute that artificial trees are more harmful to the environment, and maintain that the PVC used in Christmas trees has excellent recyclable properties. [133] Rojstvo tradicije: od bršljana, bele omele do okraskov polne jelke" (in Slovenian). mestnik.si. 4 December 2021. Silverthorne, Elizabeth (1994). Christmas in Texas. Texas A&M University Press. p.62. ISBN 978-0-8909-6578-8. Recycling Your Tree: Real Christmas Trees are Recyclable". National Christmas Tree Association. Archived from the original on 6 April 2013 . Retrieved 18 December 2012.