The History of the Christmas Tree Worksheet Download

Look at that tall green tree with twinkly lights! It is a Christmas tree. Families put one up at home and add shiny things.

Why would anyone bring a tree inside? Evergreen trees stay green all winter. Long ago people saw that green as a sign of life.

Families in Germany loved that sign of life and decorated trees by the 1500s. Later trees glowed with candles and then electric lights. Wow, people have loved this green sign of life for hundreds of years!

Have you ever wondered why we bring trees indoors at Christmas? An evergreen is a tree with leaves that stay green all year. In cold winter, that green made people think of life and hope.

Green meant life, so families in Germany brought trees inside. Families hung apples, nuts, and paper flowers on the branches. That was about 500 years ago, long before any electric lights!

Trees stayed popular, and then one picture spread them far and wide. In 1848, a newspaper showed Queen Victoria's family around their tree. Those first trees wore apples, but your tree may glow with lights!

Wow, people once hung real apples and nuts on Christmas trees! Most Christmas trees are evergreens, trees that keep green needles all winter. In the cold, dark season, that bright green was a sign of life.

People in Germany loved that green sign of life so much that they decorated trees indoors by the 1500s. They hung apples, nuts, and paper flowers on the branches. Imagine picking a snack right off the tree!

Trees like that were still new to many families in Britain in 1848, when a newspaper printed a picture of Queen Victoria's family. The royal family stood around a small tree covered in decorations. Families in Britain and America wanted trees too, and it became a custom, which is something people do year after year.

Those first trees glowed with tiny candles, which looked lovely but could be risky. Later, electric lights took their place, and now trees twinkle with strings of little bulbs. Just think: a green sign of life and one newspaper picture from 1848 helped bring sparkling trees into our homes!

Imagine you are stepping into a warm room on a snowy night, where a tree twinkles with tiny lights! It smells like pine and sparkles with shiny ornaments. Most Christmas trees are evergreens, trees that keep their green needles all year. Long ago, people noticed evergreens stayed green when other plants looked bare, so they saw them as a sign of life.

That sign of life gave people an idea: bring some indoors! By the 1500s and 1600s, families in Germany were decorating evergreen trees at home. Can you picture a tree hung with apples, nuts, and paper flowers? German families did, and many Christians, who celebrate the birth of Jesus at Christmas, made the tree part of the holiday.

That tradition was new to most people in Britain and America until 1848, when a London newspaper printed a picture of Queen Victoria's family around a tree. Because the queen was so well known, people wanted to copy her. Soon families in both countries were setting up trees of their own. One picture helped fill homes with glowing trees!

Those glowing trees were lit by real candles, which looked lovely but could start fires. So families kept water nearby, and by the 1880s inventors were making tiny electric bulbs. Today some people choose real trees, and others choose artificial ones they can use again and again. Next time you flip the switch on your tree, remember that trees once glowed with flickering candles!

Step into a German living room in 1605, and you might gasp! A fir tree stands inside, dressed in paper roses, apples, and sweet treats. That is how one visitor described the Christmas trees of Strasbourg, a city that was then part of the German lands. Can you imagine decorating a tree with apples instead of shiny glass balls?

Why would anyone haul a tree in from the forest? Evergreens keep their green needles all winter, while most other trees stand bare and brown. To many people in Europe, that color was a sign that life goes on, even in the coldest months. German families brought evergreens indoors for Christmas, the holiday when Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus.

That German custom stayed close to home for generations, until one famous picture sent it traveling. In 1848, a London newspaper printed a drawing of Queen Victoria, Prince Albert, and their children gathered around a tree on a table. Albert was born in Germany, so a decorated tree was a custom he knew from childhood. Soon families in Britain wanted a tree just like the royal family's, and the picture reached America too.

Look closely at the tree in that picture, and you would see small candles on its branches. Families kept a bucket of water nearby, because a flame beside dry needles could be dangerous. In 1882, Edward Johnson, who worked with inventor Thomas Edison, lit a tree in his New York City home with electric bulbs instead.

Thanks to bulbs like his, a tree can glow for weeks without a single flame. Today, real trees come from farms, where one can take about seven to ten years to grow to living-room size. Artificial trees are older than you might think, since some early German ones were made of goose feathers dyed green! Each one carries on a custom that goes back to apples and paper roses in Strasbourg.

Here's a puzzle: why would anyone drag a whole tree into the living room and cover it with sparkles? Picture the green branches, the fresh scent of pine, and ornaments twinkling like tiny stars. Stranger still, this custom is older than the United States! Grab your detective hat, because the clues are hiding in the tree's long history.

The first clue is in the needles: evergreens stay green even when snow covers the ground. People in cold places hung evergreen branches indoors as a sign that spring would return. By the 1500s and 1600s, German families were decorating whole trees for Christmas, when Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus. One writer in Strasbourg described fir trees in 1605 hung with paper roses, apples, and sweets, but not a single plastic ornament!

Paper roses and apples sound lovely, but it took a famous family to make the idea travel. In 1848, a London newspaper printed a picture of Queen Victoria, Prince Albert, and their children gathered around a decorated tree. Albert had grown up with the custom in Germany, and readers adored the cozy scene, so many British families wanted trees too. An American magazine printed a version in 1850, so the fashion sailed across the ocean, a bit like a famous photo going around today!

Once trees stood in homes on both sides of the ocean, families wanted them to glow, and for years that meant candles. Small candles were fixed to the branches, but flames near dry needles were risky, so people watched them closely. In 1882, Edward Johnson, a colleague of inventor Thomas Edison, lit a tree in New York City with electric bulbs, and he is often credited with the first one. Electric strings were much safer, and soon families could flip a switch instead of striking a match.

Thanks to safe, glowing bulbs, families today can puzzle over a different question: real tree or artificial? Real trees are usually grown on farms, and many take about seven to ten years to reach living room size. The first artificial trees, made in Germany in the 1800s, used goose feathers dyed green, while today's are usually plastic. Whichever kind you choose, you're keeping alive a tradition hundreds of years old that began with people who wanted a bit of green to cheer winter's darkest days.

Think the Christmas tree has been part of Christmas since the very beginning? Most people do, but the real story holds a surprise! Picture a room lit by twinkling lights, glass ornaments swinging like frozen raindrops, and the sharp, sweet scent of pine drifting through the air. That scene feels timeless, yet it took centuries, several countries, and one famous newspaper picture to reach your living room. Its story shows how a plain green branch grew into one of the season's brightest symbols.

That plain green branch was treasured long before anyone hung an ornament on it. Most trees stand bare in winter, but evergreens such as fir and pine keep their needles, so many people saw them as a sign that life would return. Ancient Romans decorated with evergreen boughs at winter festivals, and families across Europe later hung greenery indoors to brighten the darkest months. By the 1500s and 1600s, German families were bringing whole trees inside for Christmas. One written account from Strasbourg in 1605 describes fir trees trimmed with paper roses, apples, wafers, and sweets, so the decorations were also snacks!

Snacks or not, the custom needed a famous fan to travel far, and it found one in 1848. That year, the Illustrated London News printed a drawing of Queen Victoria, her German-born husband Prince Albert, and their children gathered around a tabletop tree at Windsor Castle. Britain had seen a tree before, since German-born Queen Charlotte set one up for a party around 1800, but a newspaper could reach far more homes than any palace party. In 1850, a Philadelphia magazine printed a copy of the picture with the royal touches removed, so the family looked like any neighbors down the street. Before long, families on both sides of the Atlantic were hunting for trees of their own.

Once everyone had a tree, the next puzzle was how to make it glow. Early trees were lit by real candles, dripped onto branches with wax or held in tiny metal clips, which made a dry tree and a flame a risky pair. The bright solution was electricity, and Edward Johnson, a colleague of Thomas Edison, is often credited with lighting the first electric tree in New York City in 1882. Today's LED strings can hold hundreds of tiny bulbs and use far less energy than old-fashioned ones.

Those glowing strands now drape two very different kinds of trees. The National Christmas Tree Association says Americans buy about 25 to 30 million real trees a year, and many take seven years or more to grow. Others choose artificial trees, an idea that goes back to 1800s Germany, where makers built "feather trees" from dyed goose feathers. What I love most is that, real or artificial, a tree gives people a reason to gather, whether they celebrate the birth of Jesus or simply enjoy a warm family tradition. Not bad for a green branch that just refused to lose its needles.

Every December, families in the United States do something that would puzzle a visitor from another planet. According to the National Christmas Tree Association, they buy roughly 25 to 30 million real trees each year, and that count doesn't even include the artificial ones. Each one is hauled inside, wrapped in lights, and crowned with a star or an angel while the scent of pine drifts through the room. So how did a plant from the forest end up in your living room? The answer is a story of people borrowing, copying, and improving on one another's ideas.

That story starts long before anyone had heard of a Christmas tree: in winter, most plants wither, but evergreens stay green. Many ancient peoples carried evergreen boughs indoors in the darkest months as a sign that life would return. Pine, fir, and spruce keep their needles all year, which must have seemed hopeful to communities waiting on the next harvest. Over time, greenery became part of winter celebrations across Europe, including Christmas, when Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus. Nobody invented the tree in one moment; the idea grew from a symbol people already understood.

Green boughs on a wall are one thing, but a whole tree standing in the room is another, and that leap happened in Germany. By the 1500s and 1600s, German records describe decorated evergreens set up indoors for Christmas. The decorations would look odd today: apples, nuts, wafers, and paper flowers instead of glass ornaments. Imagine a tree that doubled as a snack table! When Germans later moved abroad, they packed the custom right along with their belongings.

Yet the tree stayed mostly a German habit until one picture, printed in a newspaper, changed everything. Prince Albert, Queen Victoria's husband, grew up in Germany, and the royal family set up trees for their children. In 1848, the Illustrated London News printed an engraving of the queen, Albert, and their children around a candlelit tree at Windsor Castle. Two years later, an American magazine, Godey's Lady's Book, reprinted it with the royal touches removed, so it looked like any American family. The message was clear: a custom fit for a queen could fit any home, and the tree spread quickly through Britain and America.

Families everywhere copied that candlelit scene, and soon discovered how tricky real flames can be. Candles were fixed to the branches with wax or little holders, and because dry needles and open flames make a risky pair, families lit them only briefly. Then, in 1882, Edward Johnson, a colleague of inventor Thomas Edison, lit a tree in his New York home with about 80 red, white, and blue electric bulbs. Electric lights were costly at first, but by the early 1900s companies were selling strings of them for homes. The invention reshaped the tradition, letting a tree glow for hours with far less worry.

Safer lights meant a tree could shine for weeks, which raised a new question: what should it be made of? In 1800s Germany, craftspeople made "feather trees" from dyed goose feathers attached to wire branches. In the 1930s, the Addis Brush Company began making artificial trees from bristles, using skills from its brush business. Real trees still have plenty of fans, though growing one takes patience: the National Christmas Tree Association says a typical tree needs about seven to ten years to grow. A custom that began with a few green branches now includes trees of goose feathers, brush bristles, and plastic, yet the old idea holds: a bit of green can brighten winter.

In December 1848, readers of the Illustrated London News opened the paper and found a picture that stopped them in their tracks: a queen, a prince, and their children gathered around a small, glittering tree. The engraving showed Queen Victoria's family at Windsor Castle, with ornaments and sweets dangling from the branches and the children gazing up in delight. Can you picture it? Dark green needles, tiny flames, and a whole family leaning in close. That one picture did not invent the Christmas tree, but it helped turn an old German custom into a tradition shared by millions of homes in Britain and America. So where did the tree come from, and who really deserves the credit?

Credit is exactly where historians begin to argue. Many ancient peoples carried evergreen branches indoors in winter as a sign that life would return, but scholars disagree about whether those customs led straight to the Christmas tree or simply look alike. The sturdier evidence is written down: a 1605 account from Strasbourg, then a German-speaking city of the Holy Roman Empire, describes fir trees set up in homes and hung with paper roses, apples, wafers, and sweets. Notice the difference between the two claims: one rests on a resemblance across centuries, while the other rests on a document from the time. Evergreens made a natural symbol either way, since fir and pine stayed green through the months when nearly everything else looked bare.

A natural symbol attracts stories, and the most famous one credits the church reformer Martin Luther with putting the first candles on a tree. According to the legend, Luther was walking home one night in the 1500s when stars glittering through fir branches inspired him to bring a tree indoors and light it for his family. Historians have found no evidence from Luther's own lifetime that he did this, and the tale seems to have spread much later, in the 1800s. Why would a story like that survive? One famous name and one magical evening are easier to remember than the slow, untidy history of many households. A careful historian treats a legend like this as a clue about how people explained the custom, not as proof of how it began.

Pictures can be clues too, and the 1848 engraving comes with a twist: the tree was not new to Britain. Queen Charlotte, the German-born wife of George III and Victoria's grandmother, had held a tree party around 1800, yet the custom had not spread to ordinary British homes. Prince Albert, Victoria's husband, had grown up with the tradition in Germany, and the newspaper picture showed ordinary readers a scene they could copy. Across the Atlantic, the American magazine Godey's Lady's Book reprinted the image in 1850 with royal touches, such as the queen's tiara, removed. That edit suggests the editors believed the tree would appeal more as a family custom than as a royal one.

Once families in Britain and America copied the scene, they also copied its biggest hazard: real flames on dry branches. Candles were clipped to the branches and lit only for short spells, and many households kept water close by just in case. A brighter, safer idea arrived in 1882, when Edward Johnson, a colleague of inventor Thomas Edison, displayed a tree in New York wound with 80 red, white, and blue electric bulbs, all wired together by hand. Still, electric lights were costly and many homes had no electricity, so candles lingered for decades. Eventually, ready-made strings of lights became affordable, and the bucket of water gave way to an outlet on the wall.

An outlet is all modern lights need, but families still debate what kind of tree should stand beside them. The National Christmas Tree Association reports that Americans buy roughly 25 million to 30 million real trees each year, and a tree may take about seven to ten years to grow to a typical height. Artificial trees have a longer history than you might guess: in the 1800s, German makers built 'feather trees' from wire branches wrapped with dyed goose feathers. Whether it is a feather tree or a fresh-cut fir, it still echoes what a writer in Strasbourg described more than 400 years ago: a bit of winter green, brought indoors and dressed up with treats.