Christmas tree history is fascinating. The Romans were believed to be the first to decorate trees during the celebration of Saturnalia, a winter celebration of the god of agriculture. During the Middle Ages, “paradise trees” were said to be decorated with apples to celebrate the feast of Adam and Eve.

First reports of bringing a tree indoors to decorate were in the 16th century. Martin Luther is credited with being the first to adorn a tree with candles. He was trying the recreate the experience of looking up at the stars through an evergreen forest.

Controversy exists as to when the first Christmas tree was introduced to this country. One early account is of American soldiers setting up a tree at Fort Dearborn, Ill., in 1804.

Christmas trees had been popular in Germany and other eastern European countries for quite some time. For this reason, many people credit German immigrants with the introduction of the Christmas tree to the United States as early as 1820 although the custom of decorating trees was little known here until later.

Until the mid-19th century, the Christmas tree was considered an ethnic tradition in the U.S. In 1846, Prince Albert, who was of German descent brought the first Christmas tree to Windsor Castle. Queen Victoria authorized the popular publication Godey’s Lady’s Book to print an engraving of the Royal Family’s tree. Because of Victoria’s popularity with her subjects, the tree became an instant hit in Britain. Sudden popularity of the Christmas tree in England quickly jumped the Atlantic and became trendy in the fashionable areas of New England.

With the sudden rise in popularity, capitalism was not far behind. The first retail Christmas tree lot is documented to have opened in New York City in 1851. A woodsman named Mark Carr cut a few trees down from his home in the Catskills. He loaded them up on a sleigh and took them to the city to sell. The trees sold fast and Carr turned a profit, thus Christmas tree sales became part of the holiday tradition.

Congress declared Christmas a federal holiday on June 26, 1870, and the Christmas tree quickly became a national symbol. Early 1900s farmers planted fields of evergreens to meet the rising demand. In 1923, President Calvin Coolidge oversaw the lighting of the first National Christmas Tree.

The “proper” way to decorate a tree has changed throughout the years just like fashionable clothing. During the earlier years, all ornaments were handmade. Germany was the first country to start mass production of ornaments. This mostly consisted of small glass balls that were hung on trees. These were shipped to stores in the U.S. such as F.W. Woolworth, where they were quickly sold.

By 1871, William DeMuth of New York introduced the first American-made glass ornaments. In 1882, colored lights replaced candles on a few trees when an inventor employed by Thomas Edison devised a way of attaching small lights on Christmas trees. Pasadena, Calif., displayed the first outdoor tree decorated with lights in 1909.

In the early 1900s, the European Goose Feather Tree became popular in the United States. Soon after, the Addis Brush Company developed the first artificial brush tree with the same equipment used to produce their toilet brushes. The first artificial trees advertised to the masses were in a Sears and Roebuck Company catalog in 1913, but the real tree was still the favorite.

Although Christmas tree trends have gone through many changes, the reason for the season remains the same. May the joy of family togetherness and celebration make this Christmas most special, “and to all a good night.”

Traci Maier writes a weekly column about gardening in the Miss-Lou. She can be reached by e-mail at ratmaier@bellsout.net.