A Christmas tree, Yule tree or Tannenbaum (German: fir tree) is one of the most popular traditions associated with the celebration of Christmas. The German language (de ''Deutsch'') is a West Germanic language and one of the world's major languages. The word tradition comes from the Latin traditionem acc of traditio which means "a giving up delivering up surrendering" and is used in a number of It is normally an evergreen coniferous tree that is brought into a home or used in the open, and is decorated with Christmas lights and colorful ornaments during the days around Christmas. In Botany, an Evergreen plant is a plant having leaves all year round A tree is a perennial Woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or Christmas lights (also sometimes called fairy lights, twinkle lights or holiday lights in the United States are strands of Electric lights used An angel or star is often placed at the top of the tree, representing the host of angels or the Star of Bethlehem from the Nativity story. An angel is a Spiritual Supernatural being found in many Religions Although the nature of angels and the tasks given to them vary from tradition to tradition A star is a massive luminous ball of plasma. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun, which is the source of most of the Energy on Earth See also Star of Bethlehem (plant. The Star of Bethlehem, also called the Christmas Star, is a star in Christian tradition For depictions in painting and sculpture see Nativity of Jesus in art.

Contents 1 Roots 2 Origin 3 Dates 4 Types of trees used 4.1 Natural trees 4.2 Artificial trees 4.2.1 Feather trees 4.2.2 Plastic trees 4.2.3 Designer trees 4.2.4 Outdoor trees 4.2.5 Other gimmicks 4.2.6 Environmental issues 5 Decoration and ornaments 5.1 Tree mats and skirts 5.2 Flocking 6 Controversy 6.1 Symbolism 6.2 Christianity 6.3 Judaism 7 Industry 8 See also 9 References 10 External links

Roots

With origins in European Pre-Christian cultures,^[1] the Christmas tree has extensive history and has become a common sight during the winter season in various countries.

Patron trees (for example, the Irminsul, Thor's Oak and the figurative Yggdrasil), held special significance for the ancient Germanic tribes, appearing throughout historic accounts as sacred symbols and objects. An Irminsul ( Old Saxon, probably "great/mighty pillar" or "arising pillar" was a kind of Pillar which is attested as playing an important role Thor's Oak was an ancient tree sacred to the Germanic tribe of the Chatti, ancestors of the Hessians and one of the most important sacred sites of the Pagan In Norse mythology, Yggdrasil ( Old Norse Yggdrasill, ˈyɡˌdrasilː the extra -l is a Nominative case marker is the World The Germanic peoples are a historical group of Indo-European -speaking peoples originating in Northern Europe and identified by their use of the Germanic According to Adam of Bremen, in Scandinavia the Germanic pagan kings sacrificed nine males (the number nine is a significant number in Norse mythology) of each species at the sacred groves every ninth year. Adam of Bremen (also Adam Bremensis) was one of the most important German Medieval Chroniclers He lived and worked in the second half of the Terminology and usage As a cultural term "Scandinavia" has no official definition and is subject to usage by those who identify with the culture in question as well Germanic paganism refers to the religious beliefs of the Germanic peoples preceding Christianization. A major event leading to the eventual formation of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, took place in what is commonly referred to within the Church as The ^[2]

Tradition credits Saint Boniface with the invention of the Christmas tree. Saint Boniface ( Latin: Bonifacius c 672 – June 5, 754) the Apostle of the Germans, born Winfrid or Wynfrith at The Oak of Thor at Geismar was chopped down by Boniface in a stage-managed confrontation with the old gods and local heathen tribes. Geismar is a Thuringian municipality in the district of Eichsfeld in Germany A fir tree growing in the roots of the Oak was claimed by Boniface as a new symbol. "This humble tree's wood is used to build your homes: let Christ be at the centre of your households. Its leaves remain evergreen in the darkest days: let Christ be your constant light. Its boughs reach out to embrace and its top points to heaven: let Christ be your Comfort and Guide. "^[3][4]

Suzanne Lieurance claims Christmas trees used to be hung upside down from the ceiling beams and that Martin Luther is to be credited with adding lights to the tree and placing it upright and decorated. Martin Luther (November 10 1483 February 18 1546 was a German Monk, theologian, university professor Father of Protestantism, and church reformer ^[5]

Other notable traditions in relation to Christmas have also been derived from Germanic pagan practices, including the Yule log, Christmas ham, Yule Goat, stuffing stockings,^[6] elements of Santa Claus and his nocturnal ride through the sky, and surviving elements of Pre-Christian Alpine traditions. A Yule log, sometimes known as the Great Ashen Faggot, is a large log which is burned in the hearth as a part of traditional Yule or Christmas A Christmas Ham or Yule Ham is a traditional dish associated with modern Christmas, Yule and Scandinavian Jul. The Yule Goat is one of the oldest Scandinavian and Northern European Yule and Christmas symbols and traditions Santa Claus, also known as Saint Nicholas, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle, or simply " Santa " is the The central and eastern Alps of Europe are rich in traditions dating back to Pre-Christian ( pagan) times with surviving elements amalgamated from Germanic

Throughout all the ages, evergreen plants were used for decoration in the winter, from laurel, mistle or conifer, and trees had a cultural importance like the maypole, the Saturnalia or the Gerichtslinde. The maypole is a tall wooden pole (traditionally of Maple ( Acer) hawthorn or Birch) sometimes erected with several long coloured Saturnalia is the feast with which the Romans commemorated the dedication of the temple of the god Saturn In the Holy Roman Empire, a de Gerichtslinde (German for "court linden doom linden" plural de -linden) was a Linden tree

Origin

The modern custom of erecting a Christmas tree can be traced to 16th century Germany, though neither an inventor nor a single town can be identified as the sole origin for the tradition, which was a popular merging of older traditions mentioned above; in the Cathedral of Strasbourg in 1539, the church record mentions the erection of a Christmas tree. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Strasbourg Cathedral or the Cathedral of Our Lady of Strasbourg (Cathédrale Notre-Dame-de-Strasbourg Liebfrauenmünster zu Straßburg is a Roman Catholic Yet, the first officially recorded Christmastree ever was erected in Tallinn, Estonia, in year 1444. It was erected by the Brotherhood of Blackheads (local merchants guild) to celebrate the birth Christ. It was decorated with red and white roses. In that period, the guilds started erecting Christmas trees in front of their guildhalls: Ingeborg Weber-Kellermann (Marburg professor of European ethnology) found a Bremen guild chronicle of 1570 which reports how a small fir was decorated with apples, nuts, dates, pretzels and paper flowers, and erected in the guild-house, for the benefit of the guild members' children, who collected the dainties on Christmas day. A guild is an association of craftsmen in a particular trade The earliest guilds were formed as confraternities of workers Marburg is a city in Hesse, Germany, on the River Lahn. It is the main town of the Marburg-Biedenkopf district Ethnology (from the Greek ἔθνος, ethnos meaning "habit custom convention" is the branch of Anthropology that compares and Bremen (ˈbʁeːmən is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany (official name Stadtgemeinde Bremen / City Municipality of Bremen A guild is an association of craftsmen in a particular trade The earliest guilds were formed as confraternities of workers Generally a chronicle (chronica from Greek (from) is a historical account of facts and events in chronological order ^[7] Another early reference is from Basel, where the tailor apprentices carried around town a tree decorated with apples and cheese in 1597. "Basilia" redirects here For the Fly Genus, see Basilia (fly. During the 17th century, the custom entered family homes. One Strasbourg priest, Johann Konrad Dannerstuart, complains about the custom as distracting from the Word of God. Strasbourg (Strasbourg stʁazbuʁ Alsatian: Strossburi,; Straßburg) is the capital and principal City of the Alsace région Etymology According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the word bible is from Latin biblia, traced from the same word through Medieval Latin and Late Latin

By the early 18th century, the custom had become common in towns of the upper Rhineland, but it had not yet spread to rural areas. The Rhineland ( Rheinland in German) is the general name for the land on both sides of the river Rhine in the west of Germany. Wax candles are attested from the late 18th century. The Christmas tree remained confined to the upper Rhineland for a relatively long time. It was regarded as a Protestant custom by the Catholic majority along the lower Rhine and was spread there only by Prussian officials who were moved there in the wake of the Congress of Vienna in 1815. The Kingdom of Prussia (Königreich Preußen was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918 and from 1871 was the leading state of the German Empire, comprising The Congress of Vienna was a conference of ambassadors of the major powers of Europe, chaired by the Austrian statesman Clemens Wenzel von Metternich

In the early 19th century, the custom became popular among the nobility and spread to royal courts as far as Russia. Princess Henrietta of Nassau-Weilburg introduced the Christmas tree to Vienna in 1816, and the custom spread across Austria in the following years. Henrietta (Alexandrine Frederika Wilhelmine of Nassau-Weilburg ( 30 October, 1797 Palace Ermitage, near Bayreuth - 29 December, Vienna ( in Wien; see also other names) is the Capital of Austria, and is also one of the nine States of Austria. In France, the first Christmas tree was introduced in 1840 by the duchesse d'Orléans. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Ancestors Trivia Ferdinand-Philippe was used by Hanns Heinz Ewers as a character in his novella "Die Herzen der Könige"

In Britain, the Christmas tree was introduced in the time of the personal union with Hanover, by George III's Queen Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz but the custom did not spread much beyond the royal family. Godey's Lady's Book, alternatively known as Godey's Magazine and Lady's Book, was a popular United States Magazine among A personal union is the combination by which two different States are governed by the same Monarch, while their boundaries their laws and their interests remain distinct The Kingdom of Hanover (Königreich Hannover was established in October of 1814 by the Congress of Vienna, with the restoration of George III to his Hanoverian George III (George William Frederick 4 June 1738 George III's long reign was marked by a series of military conflicts involving his kingdom much of the rest of Europe and places Queen Charlotte, (née Duchess Sophia Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz; 19 May 1744 – 17 November 1818) was the Queen Victoria as a child was familiar with the custom. In her journal for Christmas Eve 1832, the delighted 13-year-old princess wrote, "After dinner. . . we then went into the drawing-room near the dining-room. . . There were two large round tables on which were placed two trees hung with lights and sugar ornaments. All the presents being placed round the trees. . . ". After her marriage to her German cousin, Prince Albert, the custom became even more widespread. In 1847, Prince Albert wrote: "I must now seek in the children an echo of what Ernest [his brother] and I were in the old time, of what we felt and thought; and their delight in the Christmas-trees is not less than ours used to be". A woodcut of the royal family with their Christmas tree at Osborne House, initially published in the Illustrated London News of December 1848, was copied in the United States at Christmas 1850 (illustration, left). For the origins of the technique and non-artistic use see Woodblock printing; for the related technique invented in the 18th century see Wood engraving Osborne House is a former royal residence in East Cowes, Isle of Wight, England. The Illustrated London News was a Magazine founded by Herbert Ingram and his friend Mark Lemon, the editor of Punch The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Such patriotic prints of the British royal family at Christmas celebrations helped popularise the Christmas tree in Britain and among the Anglophile American upper class.

Several cities in the United States with German connections lay claim to that country's first Christmas tree: Windsor Locks, Connecticut, claims that a Hessian soldier put up a Christmas tree in 1777 while imprisoned at the Noden-Reed House, while the "First Christmas Tree in America" is also claimed by Easton, Pennsylvania, where German settlers purportedly erected a Christmas tree in 1816. Windsor Locks is a town located in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. Easton is a city in Northampton County, in the eastern region of Pennsylvania, in the United States. In his diary, Matthew Zahm of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, recorded the use of a Christmas tree in 1821 -- leading Lancaster to also lay claim to the first Christmas tree in America. Lancaster is a city in the South Central part of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and is the County seat of Lancaster County. ^[8] Other accounts credit Charles Follen, a German immigrant to Boston, for being the first to introduce to America the custom of decorating a Christmas tree. Charles Follen ( September 6, 1796 &ndash January 13, 1840) was a German ^[9] August Imgard, a German immigrant living in Wooster, Ohio, is the first to popularise the practice of decorating a tree with candy canes. In 1847, Imgard cut a blue spruce tree from a woods outside town, had the Wooster village tinsmith construct a star, and placed the tree in his house, decorating it with paper ornaments and candy canes. The National Confectioners' Association officially recognises Imgard as the first ever to put candy canes on a Christmas tree; the canes were all-white, with no red stripes. Imgard is buried in the Wooster Cemetery, and every year, a large pine tree above his grave is lit with Christmas lights.

Many cities, towns, and department stores put up public Christmas trees outdoors, such as the Rich's Great Tree in Atlanta, the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree in New York City and the large Christmas tree at Victoria Square in Adelaide. A city is an Urban area with a large Population and a particular Administrative, Legal, or Historical status A town is a type of settlement ranging from a few to several thousand (occasionally hundreds of thousands inhabitants although it may be applied loosely even to huge metropolitan A department store is a Retail establishment which specializes in selling a wide range of products without a single predominant merchandise line. The Rich's Great Tree (now The Great Tree at Macy's) is a large (70 to 90-foot tall cut pine Christmas tree that has been an Atlanta Tradition The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree is an annual tradition in New York City 's Rockefeller Center, and is lighted in early December or late-November an event broadcast The City of New York Adelaide is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of South Australia, and is the fifth largest city in Australia with a During most of the 1970s and 1980s, the largest Christmas tree in the world was put up every year on the property of The National Enquirer in Lantana, Florida. The National Enquirer (also commonly known as the Enquirer) is an American supermarket tabloid now published by American Lantana is a town in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. This tradition grew into one of the most spectacular and celebrated events in the history of southern Florida, but was discontinued on the death of the paper's founder in the late 1980s. Florida ( is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the

In some cities Festival of Trees are organised around the decoration and display of multiple trees as charity events. Festival of Trees is the name taken by a number of (apparently independent charity events/organizations that hold annual events around Christmas time to raise money for some In some cases the trees represent special commemorative gifts, such as in Trafalgar Square in London, where the City of Oslo, Norway presents a tree to the people of London as a token of appreciation for the British support of Norwegian resistance during the Second World War; in Boston, where the tree is a gift from the province of Nova Scotia, in thanks for rapid deployment of supplies and rescuers to the 1917 ammunition ship explosion that leveled the city of Halifax; and in Newcastle upon Tyne, where the 15m-tall main civic Christmas tree is an annual gift from the city of Bergen, Norway, in thanks for the part played by soldiers from Newcastle in liberating Bergen from Nazi occupation. Trafalgar Square is a square in central London, England. With its position in the heart of London it is a tourist attraction its trademark is Nelson's London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. (called Christiania from 1624 to 1878 and Kristiania from 1878 to 1924 is the Capital and largest city of Norway. Norway ( Norwegian: Norge ( Bokmål) or Noreg ( Nynorsk) officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Constitutional World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Nova Scotia (ˌnəʊvəˈskəʊʃə ( Latin for New Scotland; Alba Nuadh Nouvelle-Écosse is a Canadian province located on Canada 's The Halifax Explosion occurred on Thursday December 6, 1917, when the city of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, was devastated by the The City of Halifax (est 1841 is the capital of the province of Nova Scotia and shire town of Halifax County Newcastle upon Tyne ( (often shortened to Newcastle) is a city and Metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, England The metre or meter is a unit of Length. It is the basic unit of Length in the Metric system and in the International is the second largest city in Norway. It is located on the south-western coast of Norway in the county of Hordaland in between a group of mountains known as De syv fjell Nazism, which was a short name for National Socialism (Nationalsozialismus refers primarily to the Ideology and practices of the National Socialist German ^[10]

The United States' National Christmas Tree is lit each year on the South Lawn of the White House. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the In the United States, a large tree near the White House is decorated as the National Christmas Tree. See also Executive Office of the President of the United States The White House, formerly known as the Executive Mansion, is the Official residence Today, the lighting of the National Christmas Tree is part of what has become a major holiday event at the White House. President Jimmy Carter lit only the crowning star atop the Tree in 1979 in honour of the Americans being held hostage in Iran; in 1980, the tree was fully lit for only 417 seconds, one second for each day the hostages had been in captivity. James Earl "Jimmy" Carter Jr (born October 1 1924 was the thirty-ninth President of the United States, serving from 1977 to 1981 and the recipient of the 2002 The Iran hostage crisis ( Persian: تصرف سفارت آمریکا was a diplomatic crisis between Iran and the United States where 52

The term Charlie Brown Christmas tree is used in the USA and Canada to describe any sad-looking, malformed little tree. Some tree buyers intentionally adopt such trees, feeling sympathetic to their plights. The term comes from the appearance of Charlie Brown's Christmas tree in the TV special A Charlie Brown Christmas. Charles "Charlie" Brown is the main character in the Comic A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965 is the first of many Prime-time animated TV specials based upon the popular Comic strip

In New Zealand, Pōhutukawa trees are described as "natural Christmas trees", as they bloom at Christmas time, and look like Christmas trees with their red flowers and green foliage. New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island The Pōhutukawa ( Metrosideros excelsa) is a coastal evergreen Tree of the Myrtle family that produces a brilliant display of red flowers made up of

Dates

Both setting up and taking down a Christmas tree are done on specific dates. In Europe, when the practice of setting up evergreen trees originated in pagan times, the practice was associated with the Winter Solstice, around December 21. The winter solstice occurs at the instant when the Sun 's position in the sky is at its greatest angular distance on the other side of the equatorial plane from the ^[11] Tree decoration was later adopted into Christian practice after the Church set December 25 as the birth of Christ, thereby supplanting the pagan celebration of the solstice. Events 274 - Roman Emperor Aurelian

Traditionally, Christmas trees were not brought in and decorated until Christmas Eve (24 December), and then removed the day after twelfth night (6 January); to have a tree up before or after these dates was even considered bad luck. Christmas Eve, December 24, is the day before Christmas Day, the celebrated birthday of Jesus. Events 563 - The Byzantine church Hagia Sophia in Constantinople is dedicated for the second time after being destroyed by Earthquakes Twelfth Night is a holiday in some branches of Christianity marking the coming of the Epiphany, concluding the Twelve Days of Christmas, and Events 1066 - Harold Godwinson is crowned King of England. 1205 - Philip of Swabia becomes King Modern commercialisation of Christmas has resulted in trees being put up much earlier; in shops often as early as late October (in the UK, Selfridge's Christmas department is up by early September, complete with Christmas trees). Commerce is a division of trade or production which deals with the exchange of goods and services from producer to final consumer Selfridges is a chain of Department stores in the United Kingdom. Some households in the U. S. do not put up the tree until the second week of December, and leave it up until the 6th of January (Epiphany). Epiphany ( Greek for "to manifest" or "to show" is a Christian Feast day which celebrates the "shining forth" or revelation of In Germany, traditionally the tree is put up on the 24th of December and taken down on the 7th of January, though many start one or two weeks earlier, and in Roman-Catholic areas the tree may be kept until late January. In Australia, the Christmas tree is usually put up on the 1st of December, which occurs about a week before the school summer holidays; except for South Australia, where most people put up their tree after the Adelaide Credit Union Christmas Pageant, which is in early November. Some traditions suggest that Christmas trees may be kept up until no later than the 2nd of February, the feast of the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple (Candlemas), when the Christmas season effectively closes. The Feast of the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple celebrates an early episode in the life of Jesus, and falls on or around 2 February. ^[12] Superstitions say it's a bad sign if Christmas greenery is not removed by Candlemas Eve. ^[13]

Types of trees used

Both natural and artificial trees are used as Christmas trees.

Natural trees

The most commonly used species are fir (Abies), which have the benefit of not shedding their needles when they dry out, as well as retaining good foliage colour and scent; but species in other genera are also used. In Biology, a species is one of the basic units of Biological classification and a Taxonomic rank. Firs ( Abies) are a genus of between 45-55 species of Evergreen conifers in the family Pinaceae. A genus (plural genera from Γένος Latin genus "descent family type gender" is a low-level Taxonomic

In northern Europe most commonly used are:

• Silver Fir Abies alba (the original species)
• Nordmann Fir Abies nordmanniana (as in the photo)
• Noble Fir Abies procera
• Norway Spruce Picea abies (generally the cheapest)
• Serbian Spruce Picea omorika
• Scots Pine Pinus sylvestris
• Stone Pine Pinus pinea (as small table-top trees)
• Swiss Pine Pinus cembra

In North America, Central America and South America most commonly used are:

• Balsam Fir Abies balsamea
• Fraser Fir Abies fraseri
• Grand Fir Abies grandis
• Guatemalan Fir Abies guatemalensis
• Noble Fir Abies procera
• Red Fir Abies magnifica
• Coast Douglas-fir Pseudotsuga menziesii
• Jeffrey Pine Pinus jeffreyi
• Scots Pine Pinus sylvestris
• Stone Pine Pinus pinea (as small table-top trees)
• Norfolk Island pine Araucaria heterophylla

Several other species are used to a lesser extent. For the tree known as Silver Fir in western North America see Abies concolor. Nordmann Fir ( Abies nordmanniana) is a Fir native to the Mountains south and east of the Black Sea, in Turkey, Georgia The Noble Fir ( Abies procera) is a western North American Fir, native to the Cascade Range and Coast Range Mountains Norway Spruce ( Picea abies) is a species of Spruce native to Europe. Picea omorika ( Serbian Spruce; Serbian: панчићева оморика pančićeva omorika is a rare local Spruce, endemic to The Scots Pine ( Pinus sylvestris L family Pinaceae) is a species of Pine native to Europe and Asia, ranging from The (Italian Stone Pine (or Umbrella Pine) ( Pinus pinea; family Pinaceae) is a species of Pine native of Southern Europe in The Swiss Pine or Arolla Pine ( Pinus cembra) is a species of Pine Tree that occurs in the Alps and Carpathian Mountains South America is a Continent of the Americas, situated entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a The Balsam Fir ( Abies balsamea) is a North American Fir, native to most of eastern and central Canada ( Newfoundland west to central Abies fraseri ( Fraser Fir) is a species of Fir native to the mountains of the eastern United States. Grand Fir or Giant Fir ( Abies grandis) is a Fir native to the Pacific Northwest of North America, occurring at altitudes of sea Abies guatemalensis or the Guatemalan Fir is an evergreen tree native to Central America and is the southernmost member of the genus Abies The Noble Fir ( Abies procera) is a western North American Fir, native to the Cascade Range and Coast Range Mountains The Red Fir ( Abies magnifica) is a western North American Fir, native to the Mountains of southwest Oregon and California The Coast Douglas-fir ( Pseudotsuga menziesii var menziesii) a variety of Douglas-fir, is an Evergreen Conifer native Jeffrey Pine ( Pinus jeffreyi) named in honor of its documenter John Jeffrey, is a North American Pine related to Ponderosa Pine The Scots Pine ( Pinus sylvestris L family Pinaceae) is a species of Pine native to Europe and Asia, ranging from The (Italian Stone Pine (or Umbrella Pine) ( Pinus pinea; family Pinaceae) is a species of Pine native of Southern Europe in Araucaria heterophylla (synonym A excelsa) is a distinctive conifer, a member of the ancient and now disjointly distributed family Araucariaceae Less-traditional conifers are sometimes used, such as Giant Sequoia, Leyland Cypress, Monterey Cypress and Eastern Juniper. Sequoiadendron giganteum ( Giant Sequoia, Sierra Redwood, or Wellingtonia) is the sole species in the genus Sequoiadendron The Leyland Cypress, X Cupressocyparis leylandii (syn Callitropsis × leylandii) is often referred to as just Leylandii. Cupressus macrocarpa ( Monterey Cypress, Macrocarpa; syn Callitropsis macrocarpa (Hartw Juniperus virginiana ( Eastern Redcedar, Red Cedar, Eastern Juniper, Red Juniper, Pencil Cedar) is a species of Various types of spruce tree are also used for Christmas trees; but spruces (unlike firs) begin to lose their needles rapidly upon being cut, and many spruces, such as Blue Spruce have very sharp needles, making decorating uncomfortable. Spruce refers to Trees of the genus Picea, a genus of about 35 species of Coniferous Evergreen trees in the Family Pinaceae Picea pungens ( Colorado Blue Spruce or Blue Spruce) is a species of Spruce native to western North America, from southeast Virginia Pine is still available on some tree farms in the southeastern United States, however its winter colour is faded. The Virginia Pine ( Pinus virginiana) is a medium-sized Tree, often found on poorer soils from Long Island in southern New York south through The long-needled Eastern White Pine is also used there, though it is an unpopular Christmas tree in most parts of the country, owing also to its faded winter coloration and limp branches, making decorating difficult with all but the lightest ornaments. Eastern White Pine' ( Pinus strobus) is a large Pine native to eastern North America, occurring from Newfoundland west to Minnesota Norfolk Island pine is sometimes used, particularly in Oceania, and in Australia some species of the genera Casuarina and Allocasuarina are also occasionally used as Christmas trees. Araucaria heterophylla (synonym A excelsa) is a distinctive conifer, a member of the ancient and now disjointly distributed family Araucariaceae For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. Casuarina is a Genus of 17 species in the family Casuarinaceae, native to Australasia, southeastern Asia, and islands of the Allocasuarina is a Genus in the Flowering plant family Casuarinaceae. Hemlock species are generally considered unsuitable as Christmas trees due to their poor needle retention and inability to support the weight of lights and ornaments. Tsuga (from ツガ ja 栂 the name for Tsuga sieboldii) is a genus of conifers in the family Pinaceae.

Some trees are sold live with roots and soil, often from a nursery, to be planted later outdoors and enjoyed (and often decorated) for years or decades. A nursery is a place where Plants are propagated and grown to usable size However, the combination of root loss on digging, and the indoor environment of high temperature and low humidity is very detrimental to the tree's health, and the survival rate of these trees is low. Temperature is a physical property of a system that underlies the common notions of hot and cold something that is hotter generally has the greater temperature Humidity is the amount of water vapor in the air In daily language the term "humidity" is normally taken to mean Relative humidity. These trees must be kept inside only for a few days, as the warmth will bring them out of dormancy, leaving them little protection when put back outside into the midwinter cold in most areas. Dormancy is a period in an organism's life cycle when growth development and (in animals physical activity is temporarily suspended Others are produced in a container and sometimes as topiary for a porch or patio. Topiary is the art of creating Sculptures in the medium of clipped Trees, Shrubs and Sub-shrubs The word derives from the Latin

European tradition prefers the open aspect of naturally-grown, unsheared trees, while in North America (outside western areas where trees are often wild-harvested on public lands^[14]) there is a preference for close-sheared trees with denser foliage, but less space to hang decorations. The shearing also damages the highly attractive natural symmetry of unsheared trees. Symmetry generally conveys two primary meanings The first is an imprecise sense of harmonious or aesthetically-pleasing proportionality and balance such that it reflects beauty or

In the past, Christmas trees were often harvested from wild forests, but now almost all are commercially grown on tree farms. A tree farm is privately owned forest managed for timber crop production Almost all Christmas trees in the United States are grown on Christmas tree farms where they are cut after about ten years of growth and new trees planted. According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) agriculture census for 2002 (the census is done every five years) there were 21,904 farms were producing conifers for the cut Christmas tree market in America, 180,897 hectares (447,006 acres) were planted in Christmas trees, and 13,849 farms harvested cut trees. The top 5 percent of the farms (40 hectares / 100 acres or more) sold 61 percent of the trees. The top 26 percent of the farms (8 hectares / 20 acres or more) sold 84 percent of the trees. Farms less than 0. 8 hectare (two acres) comprised 21 percent of the farms, and sold an average of 115 trees per farm. ^[15]

In the UK, the British Christmas Tree Growers Association represents the interests of all those who grow Christmas trees in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located British Christmas Tree Growers Association is the trade association for those who grow specialist Christmas Trees in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. See also Kingdom of Great Britain Great Britain (Breatainn Mhòr Prydain Fawr Breten Veur Graet Breetain is the larger of the two main islands Northern Ireland (Tuaisceart Éireann Ulster Scots: Norlin Airlann) is a Country within the United Kingdom, lying in the northeast of

The lifecycle of a Christmas tree from the seed to a 2-metre (7 ft) tree takes, depending on species and treatment in cultivation, between 8 and 12 years. First, the seed is extracted from cones harvested from older trees. These seeds are then usually grown in nurseries and then sold to Christmas tree farms at an age of 3-4 years. The remaining development of the tree greatly depends on the climate, soil quality, as well as the cultivation and tendance by the Christmas tree farmer. ^[16]

Artificial trees

Artificial trees have become increasingly popular, as they are considered more convenient, cleaner, and (if used for several years) less expensive than real trees, as well as less wasteful than cutting down real trees. Hong Kong ( officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, is a territory located on China 's south coast on the Pearl River Delta, and borders Talk People's Republic of China) PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA ARTICLE GUIDELINES Trees come in a number of colours and "species", and some come pre-decorated with lights. At the end of the Christmas season artificial trees can be disassembled and stored compactly.

Artificial trees are sometimes even a necessity in some rented homes (especially apartment flats), due to the potential fire danger from a dried-out real tree, leading to their prohibition by some landlords. Fire is the heat and light energy released during a Chemical reaction, in particular a combustion reaction. Landlord is the owner of a House, Apartment, Condominium, or Real estate which is rented or Leased to an individual or business They may also be necessary for people who have an allergy to conifers, and are popular in office settings. Allergy is a disorder of the Immune system often also referred to as Atopy.

Feather trees

The first artificial trees were tabletop feather trees, made from green-dyed goose feathers wound onto sticks drilled into a larger one, like the branches on a tree. A dye can generally be described as a Colored substance that has an affinity to the substrate to which it is being applied Goose (plural geese) is the English name for a considerable number of Birds belonging to the family Anatidae. Feathers are one of the epidermal growths that form the distinctive outer covering or Plumage, on Birds They are considered the most complex integumentary structures Originating in Germany in the 19th century to prevent further deforestation, these "minimalist" trees show off small ornaments very well. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Deforestation is the conversion of Forested areas to non-forest land for use such as Arable land, Pasture, urban use logged area or wasteland Minimalism describes movements in various forms of art and design especially Visual art and music, where the work is stripped down to its most fundamental features The first feather trees came to the U. S. in 1913, in the Sears, Roebuck and Company catalog. Sears Holdings Corporation ( is the sixth largest retailer in the United States, behind Wal-Mart, The Home Depot, Costco, Target Mail order is a term which describes the Buying of goods or services by Mail delivery

Plastic trees

The first modern artificial Christmas trees were produced by companies which made brushes. "Paintbrush" redirects here For other uses see Paintbrush (disambiguation. They were made the same way, using animal hair (mainly pig bristles) and later plastic bristles, dyed pine-green in colour, inserted between twisted wires that form the branches. Pigs, also called hogs or' swine', are Ungulates which have been domesticated as sources of food leather and similar products since ancient times Plastic is the general common term for a wide range of synthetic or semisynthetic organic solid materials suitable for the manufacture of industrial products The bases of the branches were then twisted together to form a large branch, which was then inserted by the user into a wooden pole (now metal with plastic rings) for a trunk. Each row of branches is a different size, colour-coded at the base with paint or stickers for ease of assembly.

The first trees looked like long-needled pine trees, but later trees use flat PVC sheets to make the needles. Many also have very short brown "needles" wound in with the longer green ones, to imitate the branch itself or the bases that each group of pine (but not other conifer) needles grows from. These trees have become a little more realistic every year, with a few deluxe trees containing multiple branch styles and newly developed True Needle technology to more closely imitate nature. Many trees now come in "slim" versions, to fit in smaller spaces. Most of the better trees have branches hinged to the pole, though the less-expensive ones generally still come separately. The hinged branched trees just need for the branches to be lowered, but they are a little less compact. Better trees also have more branch tips, the number usually listed on the box.

Around 2003, some trees with moulded plastic branches started selling in the U. S. Now there are also upside down Christmas trees after a designer at Roman Inc. put one in their showroom to help show off their new line^[17]. Purchasers from all the major stores kept asking how much the tree was, even though it was never intended for sale. These Christmas trees are advertised to "Give you more space for presents".

Designer trees

The first artificial trees that were not green were the metallic trees, introduced about 1958, and quite popular through the 1960s. The M acro E xpansion T emplate A ttribute L anguage complements TAL, providing macros which allow the reuse of code across These were made of aluminium attached to metal rods, supported on wooden or aluminium central poles. WikipediaNaming Some were made with aluminium-coated paper, which was inflammable. Paper is thin material mainly used for writing upon printing upon or packaging These posed a great fire hazard if lights were put directly on them, particularly the relatively hot bulbs sold in that era; warnings to this effect are still issued with some Christmas tree lights. They were instead lit by a spotlight or floodlight, often with a motorised rotating colour wheel in front of it. A searchlight is an apparatus with Reflectors for projecting a powerful beam of Light of approximately parallel rays in a particular An electric motor uses Electrical energy to produce Mechanical energy. Color Theory is the musical alter ego of American singer-keyboardist-songwriter Brian Hazard

More recent tinsel trees can be used safely with lights, due to the use of flame retardant materials as well as improvements in the safety of the Christmas tree lights themselves. Flame retardants are materials that inhibit or resist the spread of Fire.

Other artificial trees may look nothing like a conifer except for the triangular or conical shape. These may be made from cardboard, glass, plastic, or from stacked items such as ornaments. Paperboard is a Paper -like material usually over ten mils (0 Such items are often used as tabletop decorations.

Outdoor trees

Outdoor branched trees made out of heavy white-enameled steel wires have become more popular on U. Enameled wire is copper Wire coated with a very thin insulating layer Steel is an Alloy consisting mostly of Iron, with a Carbon content between 0 S. lawns in the 2000s, along with 1990s spiral ones that hang from a central pole, both styles being lighted with standard miniature lights. A lawn is an area of recreational or amenity land planted with grass, and sometimes Clover and other plants which are maintained at a low even height In Mathematics, a spiral is a Curve which emanates from a central point getting progressively farther away as it revolves around the point These lights are usually white, but often are green, red, red/green, blue/white, blue, or multicoloured, and sometimes with a small controller to fade colours back and forth.

A few hotels and other buildings, both public and private, will string lights up from the roof to the top of a small tower on top of the building, so that at night it appears as a lit Christmas tree, often using green or other coloured lights. A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging usually on a short-term basis Some skyscrapers will tell certain offices to leave their lights on (and others off) at night during December, creating a Christmas tree pattern. A skyscraper is a tall continuously habitable Building. There is no official definition or a precise cutoff height above which a building may clearly be classified as a skyscraper

Other gimmicks

Since the late 1990s, many indoor artificial trees come pre-strung with lights. Some are instead lit partly or completely by fibre optics, with the light in the base, and a rotating colour wheel causing various colours to shimmer across the tree. An optical fiber (or fibre) is a Glass or Plastic fiber that carries Light along its length

In 2005 Upside-Down Christmas Trees became popular. They were originally sold as decorations for merchants that allowed customers to get closer to ornaments being sold. Customers then wanted to replicate the inverted tree. Retailers also claimed that the trees were popular because they allowed larger presents to be placed beneath the trees. Upside-down Christmas trees come in three varieties: stand-alone, ceiling, and wall. The stand-alone trees have a flat base. Ceiling trees have a base that can be bolted into a ceiling, and wall trees are generally half of a tree, that are bolted to a wall.

Past gimmicks include small talking or singing trees, and trees which blow "snow" (actually small styrofoam beads) over themselves, collecting them in a decorative cardboard bin at the bottom and blowing them back up to the top through a tube hidden next to the trunk. Styrofoam is a trademark for polystyrene Thermal insulation, a material manufactured by Dow Chemical Company. Paperboard is a Paper -like material usually over ten mils (0

A long-standing and simple gimmick is conifer seedlings sold with cheap decorations attached by soft pipe cleaners. A seed (in some plants referred to as a kernel) is a small embryonic Plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat usually with some stored A pipe cleaner or pipecleaner is a type of Brush originally intended for cleaning Smoking pipes and is useful for cleaning many other things besides pipes including Real potted ones are often sold like this, and artificial ones often come with a "root ball" but only sometimes with decorations.

Environmental issues

There is some debate as to whether artificial or real trees are better for the natural environment. See also Nature The natural environment, commonly referred to simply as the environment, is a terminology that is comprised of all living and Artificial trees are usually made out of non-biodegradable PVC, polyethylene, or a combination of the two. Polyethylene or polythene ( IUPAC name poly(ethene) is a Thermoplastic commodity heavily used in consumer products (notably the Some trees have a warning that dust or leaves from the tree should not be eaten or inhaled. A small amount of real-tree material is used in some artificial trees. For instance, the bark of a real tree can be used to surface an artificial trunk. Bark, also known as periderm is the outermost layer of stems and Roots of Woody plants such as Trees It overlays the Wood and consists ^[18]

Artificial trees can be used for many years, but are usually non-recyclable, ending up in landfills. For other uses see Water treatment and Land reclamation. A landfill, also known as a dump (and historically as Real trees are used only for a short time, but can be recycled and used as mulch or used to prevent erosion. In Agriculture and Gardening, '''mulch''' is a protective cover placed over the Soil, primarily to modify the effects of the local Climate. Erosion is the carrying away or displacement of solids ( Sediment, Soil, rock and other particles usually by the agents of currents such as wind ^[19] Real trees also help reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere while growing. Carbon dioxide ( Chemical formula:) is a Chemical compound composed of two Oxygen Atoms covalently bonded to a single Temperature and layers The temperature of the Earth's atmosphere varies with altitude the mathematical relationship between temperature and altitude varies among five

Live trees are typically grown as a crop and replanted in rotation after cutting, often providing suitable habitat for wildlife. A habitat (which is Latin for "it inhabits" is an Ecological or environmental area that is inhabited by a particular Species. In some cases management of Christmas tree crops can result in poor habitat since it involves heavy input of pesticides. A pesticide is a substance or mixture of substances used to kill a pest. Organically grown Christmas trees are available in some markets, and as with many other crops, are widely held to be better for the environment. Organic farming is a form of agriculture that relies on Crop rotation, Green manure, Compost, Biological pest control, and mechanical Cultivation

Decoration and ornaments

Tinsel and several types of garland or ribbon are commonly used to decorate a Christmas tree. A bauble was originally a stick with a weight attached used in weighing a child's toy but especially the mock symbol of office carried by a court Jester. Tinsel was originally a metallic garland for Christmas decoration. A garland is a decorative Wreath or cord used at festive occasions which can be hung round a person's neck or on inanimate objects like Christmas trees Originally A ribbon or riband is a thin band of flexible material typically Cloth but also Plastic or sometimes Metal, used primarily for binding and tying Delicate mould-blown and painted coloured glass Christmas ornaments were a specialty of the glass factories in the Ore Mountains in the late 19th century, and have since become a large industry, complete with famous-name designers. Christmas ornaments are Decorations (usually made of Glass, Metal, Wood or Ceramics that are used to festoon a Christmas Lighting with candles or electric lights (fairy lights) is commonly done, and a tree topper completes the ensemble. A candle is a Light source and sometimes a Heat source consisting of a solid block of Fuel and an embedded wick. Christmas lights (also sometimes called fairy lights, twinkle lights or holiday lights in the United States are strands of Electric lights used A tree topper is a decorative star angel or other item which is placed on the crown of a Christmas tree. Strands of tinsel may be hung in groups from longer branches to simulate icicles, though this trend has gradually fallen off since the late 1970s, due primarily to a cessation of the manufacture of metal tinsel because of environmental concerns. Icicle (yacht is also the name of the largest Ice yacht An icicle is a spike of Ice formed when water dripping or falling This was replaced with silvered saran based tinsel, which many have found to be unsatisfactory, leading to the demise of tinsel in tree decorating in the United States (it remains popular in many European countries). Baubles are another extremely common decoration, and usually consist of a fairly small hollow glass or plastic sphere coated with a thin metallic layer to make them reflective, and then with a further coating of a thin pigmented polymer in order to provide coloration. A bauble was originally a stick with a weight attached used in weighing a child's toy but especially the mock symbol of office carried by a court Jester.

Individuals' decorations vary widely, typically being an eclectic mix of family traditions and personal tastes; even a small unattractive ornament, if passed down from a parent or grandparent, may come to carry considerable emotional value and be given pride of place on the tree. Conversely, trees decorated by professional designers for department stores and other institutions will usually have a "theme"; a set of predominant colours, multiple instances of each type of ornament, and larger decorations that may be more complicated to set up correctly. A department store is a Retail establishment which specializes in selling a wide range of products without a single predominant merchandise line. Some churches decorate with Chrismon trees, which use handmade ornaments depicting various Chrismon symbols. Chrismon Trees are a popular variation of the Christmas tree developed by Frances Kipps Spencer, a member of the Ascension Lutheran Church in Danville Virginia A chrismon is one of number of Christian Symbols intended to represent aspects of the Person life or ministry of Jesus Christ and the life ministry or

Many people also decorate outdoor trees with food that birds and other wildlife will enjoy, such as garlands made from unsalted popcorn or cranberries, orange halves, and seed-covered suet cakes. Birds ( class Aves) are bipedal endothermic ( Warm-blooded) Vertebrate animals that lay eggs. Wildlife includes all non-domesticated plants animals and other organisms Popcorn or popping corn is a type of corn which explodes from the kernel and puffs up when heated Cranberries are a group of Evergreen dwarf Shrubs or trailing vines in the genus Vaccinium subgenus Oxycoccos An orange —specifically the sweet orange —is the Citrus fruit Citrus sinensis ( syn Suet (/ˈsuːɪt/ is raw Beef or mutton Fat, especially the hard fat found around the Loins and Kidneys Suet has a Melting

Tree mats and skirts

Since candles were used to light trees until electric bulbs came about, a mat (UK) or "skirt" (US) was often placed on the floor below the tree to protect it by catching the dripping candle wax, and also to collect any needles that fall. "Christmas Star" redirects here For the Christian tradition see Star of Bethlehem. A candle is a Light source and sometimes a Heat source consisting of a solid block of Fuel and an embedded wick. A mat is a generic term for a piece of fabric or flat material generally placed on a Floor or other flat surface and serving a range of purposes including A skirt is a tube- or cone-shaped Garment that hangs from the Waist and covers all or part of the Legs In European culture, skirts are usually Wax has traditionally referred to a substance that is secreted by Bees ( Beeswax) and used by them in constructing their Even when dripless candles, electric lights and artificial trees have been used, a skirt is still usually used as a decorative feature: among other things, it hides the tree stand, which may be unsightly but which is an important safety feature of home trees. What began as ordinary cloth has now often become much more ornate, some having embroidery or being put together like a quilt. A textile is a flexible material comprised of a network of natural or artificial Fibres often referred to as thread or Yarn. Embroidery is the Art or Handicraft of decorating fabric or other Materials with designs stitched in strands of thread or A quilt is a type of Bedding — a bed covering composed of a quilt top a layer of batting, and a layer of fabric for backing generally combined using the technique

A nativity scene, model train, or Christmas village may be placed on the mat or skirt. A nativity scene may be used to describe any depiction of the Nativity of Jesus in art, but in the sense covered here also called a crib or manger in the Model railroading (US or Railway modelling (UK Australia and Canada is a Hobby in which Rail transport systems are modeled at a reduced scale For the seasonal attraction near Reading Pennsylvania see Koziar's Christmas Village. As Christmas presents arrive, they are generally placed underneath the tree on the tree skirt (depending on tradition, all Christmas gifts, or those too large to be hung on the tree, as in "presents on the tree" of the song "I'll Be Home for Christmas"). " I'll Be Home for Christmas " is a Christmas Song, written by Walter Kent.

Generally, the difference between a mat and skirt is simply that a mat is placed under the tree stand, while a skirt is placed over it, having a hole in the middle for the trunk, with a slot cut to the outside edge so that it can be placed around the tree (beneath the branches) easily. A plain mat of fabric or plastic may also be placed under the stand and skirt to protect the floor from scratches or water. Water is a common Chemical substance that is essential for the survival of all known forms of Life.

Flocking

In the 1940s and 1950s flocking was very popular on the West Coast of the United States. There were home flocking kits that could be used with vacuum cleaners. In the 1980s some trees were sprayed with fluffy white flocking to simulate snow. Flocking is the process of depositing many small fiber particles (called "flock" onto a surface Typically it would be sprayed all over the tree from the sides, which produced a look different from real snow, which settles in clumps atop branches. Flocking can be done with a professional sprayer at a tree lot (or the manufacturer if it is artificial), or at home from a spray can, and either can be rather messy. This tradition seems to be most popular on the West Coast and Southern parts of the United States.

Because flock contains flame retardants, a flocked tree can be placed in a public building in accordance with local fire codes.

Controversy

The Christmas tree has seen an amount of controversy, mainly involving the secular and non-secular usage of the tree as well as groups who oppose usage of the tree on the grounds of interpretation of scripture and pagan origins and/or pagan character of the custom. There are also those who view it as a Christian symbol. In 2005, the city of Boston renamed the spruce tree used to decorate the Boston Common a "Holiday Tree" rather than a "Christmas Tree". ^[20] The name change drew poor reviews from the public and was changed back to "Christmas Tree" after being threatened with several lawsuits by Rev. Jerry Falwell and the Alliance Defense Fund. In the same year, Speaker of the House, Dennis Hastert, R-Ill. , asked that the tree that decorates the Capitol grounds to be renamed back to "Christmas tree". It had been renamed "Holiday tree" in the 1990s. ^[21]

Symbolism

The pointy, thorny or "piney" pine tree represents the sinful nature of humans, the illuminations and ornaments represents the glory that God crowned man with.
The cross represents the darkness and sinful nature of man, Jesus Christ represents the true light, the only Son of God.
Outer Space is dark and empty, but still God did not refuse to humble Himself and stand by our side, shining His light into our darkness.

2Corinthians 4:6 in the Bible says the following (New International Version):

[6] For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.

Christianity

Jeremiah 10:1-5 in the Bible says the following (King James Version):

[1] Hear ye the word which the LORD speaketh unto you, O house of Israel:
[2] Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them.
[3] For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe.
[4] They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not.
[5] They are upright as the palm tree, but speak not: they must needs be borne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them; for they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good.

This is interpreted by some fundamentalist Christians as referring to a Christmas tree, and that therefore the Bible would explicitly forbid the practice. Fundamentalism refers to a "deep and totalistic commitment" to a belief in and strict adherence to a set of basic principles (often Religious in nature a reaction However, the more common interpretation is that the passage refers to idol worship, and it is the practice of making an object out of wood, silver, and gold, and then worshiping that idol, which is pagan. Idolatry is usually defined as Worship of any Cult image, Idea, or object, as opposed to the worship of a monotheistic God. Others feel that since "Christmas Trees" are not biblically ordained, they should not be used. Such individuals and Christian denominations are unlikely to celebrate Christmas at all, for the same reason, such as the United Church of God. Denominationalism|List of Christian denominations|Church (disambiguation A Christian denomination is an identifiable religious body under a common name structure and doctrine within The United Church of God, an International Association (UCG IA) is a Christian denomination.

Martin Collins from Bibletools. com believes that the origin of the Christmas tree is tied to the ancient myth of Gilgamesh and Horus,^[22] which they associate with character Nimrod in the Bible. Interestingly, that association places the origins of the Christmas tree in to a celebration Nimrod as the "Son of Heaven. " By associating this symbol with Jesus, many Christians are replacing that pagan symbology with a Christian one by celebrating the Birth of Jesus on December 25 instead of the Birthday of Nimrod. Events 274 - Roman Emperor Aurelian

Most churches however use Christmas trees as decoration at Christmas time. Some churches use the same stripped Christmas tree as a Christian cross at Easter. The Christian cross is the best-known Religious symbol of Christianity. Easter ( Greek: Πάσχα Pascha or Pasxa) is the most important religious feast in the Christian Liturgical year. See the Old English poem The Dream of the Rood. The Dream of the Rood is one of the earliest Christian Poems in the corpus of Anglo-Saxon literature and an intriguing example of the genre of Both Ezekiel 47:12 and the Book of Revelation 22:2 use trees as a symbol of new fruitful life, comparative to the Tree of life denied Adam in Genesis 3:22-23. According to religious texts Ezekiel ((יְחֶזְקֵאל Yehezkel, jəx The Book of Revelation, also called Revelation to John, Apocalypse of John ( pronounced, from the Ἀποκάλυψις Ἰωάννου See also Adam and Eve Adam ( Hebrew: אָדָם was according to a literal interpretation of Genesis, the first man created by Paul makes the link between Adam and Christ clear in Romans chapter 5:

Adam is a type of the one who was to come. The Epistle of St Paul the Apostle to the Romans is one of the letters of the New Testament canon of the Christian Bible. Typology is a theological doctrine of theory of types and their antitypes found in Scripture. (v. 14)

In the same way the Christmas tree can be seen as mirroring the tree of life, a symbol or type of the Crucifix which brings redemption. A crucifix (from Latin cruci fixus meaning "(one fixed to a cross" is a cross with a representation of Jesus ' body or corpus

In some Catholic countries, the tree is seen as a recent Protestant or American influence detracting from the Mediterranean traditions of the Christmas crib. Cultural colonialism refers to internal Domination by one group and its Culture or Ideology over others A nativity scene may be used to describe any depiction of the Nativity of Jesus in art, but in the sense covered here also called a crib or manger in the However in many Catholic homes, both types of decoration coexist.

Judaism

Jewish parents in Christian societies may find that their children feel left out during the Christmas season. This has led to the increasing importance of the Hannukah celebrations, traditionally less important than, say Yom Kippur or Passover, because of its rabbinic origins. Hanukkah (חנוכה alt Chanukah) also known as the Festival of Lights, is an eight-day Jewish holiday commemorating the rededication of the Yom Kippur (יוֹם כִּפּוּר ˈjɔm kiˈpur also known in English as the Day of Atonement, is the most solemn and important of the Jewish holidays Its Passover ( Hebrew, Yiddish: פֶּסַח Pesach, Tiberian: pɛsaħ Israeli: Pesah, Pesakh, Yiddish Children now receive gifts and toys instead of the gelt of Ashkenazi tradition. Hanukkah (חנוכה alt Chanukah) also known as the Festival of Lights, is an eight-day Jewish holiday commemorating the rededication of the Some mixed-religion families or those wanting to blend better with their Christian environment will dub their trees "Hannukah bushes". A Hanukkah bush is bush or Tree —real or simulated— that some American and Canadian Jewish families display in their homes for the duration of Hanukkah Typically, these trees will incorporate a Jewish motif, with blue color schemes and ornaments featuring menorahs, dreidels and other typical symbols of Hannukah. Hanukkah Menorah ( Hebrew: מנורה menorah) (also חַנֻכִּיָּה Hanukiah, or Chanukkiyah, pl A dreidel (דרײדל dreydl, סביבון Sevivon) is a four-sided Top, played with during the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah. Hanukkah (חנוכה alt Chanukah) also known as the Festival of Lights, is an eight-day Jewish holiday commemorating the rededication of the

While many Orthodox Jews see no harm in giving gifts on Hannukah, most frown upon the "Hannukah bushes" as a Christian influence. Hanukkah (חנוכה alt Chanukah) also known as the Festival of Lights, is an eight-day Jewish holiday commemorating the rededication of the A Hanukkah bush is bush or Tree —real or simulated— that some American and Canadian Jewish families display in their homes for the duration of Hanukkah

Industry

See also: Christmas tree cultivation

Each year, 33 to 36 million Christmas trees are produced in America, and 50 to 60 million are produced in Europe. Christmas tree cultivation is an agricultural, Forestry, and horticultural occupation which involves growing Pine, Spruce, and In 1998, there were about 15,000 growers in America (a third of them "choose and cut" farms). In that same year, it was estimated that Americans spent $1. 5 billion on Christmas trees. ^[23]

See also

• Chrismon tree
• Festive ecology
• Festivus Pole
• Hanukkah bush
• Holiday tree
• New Year tree
• Star of Bethlehem
• Tree (mythology)
• Weihnachten
• Yule log

References

External links

• 1777 Christmas tree in Windsor Locks, CT
• Annual christmas trees exhibition at the State University of Arts and Design Karlsruhe, Germany
• British Royal Family Christmas trees
• Christmas Tree Farms in US.
• Christmas Tree Survives War, A-Bomb By Eric Talmadge; 21 December 2007
• Riga, Latvia purported home of the original Christmas Tree

Events 69 - The end of the Year of the four emperors: Following Galba, Otho and Vitellius, Vespasian Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century.

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