There is something so magical about shopping for a Christmas tree. You walk around and feel the crunch of the bristles beneath your shoes as the scent of evergreens wavers about. Trees of all shapes and sizes beg for passerby’s attention, all wanting a warm home to liven up. After picking the tree with a perfect stature, you throw it on top of your car and make your way home to decorate. This signals the start of the Christmas season.

The evergreen tree has been used in winter festivals for thousands of years. Different groups of people used this tree in multiple ways. Pagan’s used the tree branches to decorate their homes, giving them a reason to look forward to spring. The Romans decorated their temples with the trees for the festival, Saturnalia. Christians view the tree as a symbol of everlasting life with God. It is not known when the evergreens were first used as Christmas trees but plants that managed to remain green all year were used to decorate homes during the winter. Ancient people would make evergreen boughs and hang them over doors and windows to keep away bad spirits and illnesses.

Egyptians worshipped a god Ra, an ancient sun god. During the winter solstice, Ra would be recovering from a sickness so Egyptians would fill their homes with palm rushes which symbolized the triumph of life over death. Vikings thought evergreens were the special plant of the sun god, Balder. Germany is credited with starting the tradition of Christmas trees in the 16^th century when Christians would decorate the trees in their homes. It is widely speculated that Martin Luther, the protestant reformer, was the first to add lighted candles to trees. When Christmas trees made their way to America, Americans viewed the tradition oddly. Settlers in Pennsylvania erected the trees in their homes but by the 1840s, most Americans viewed it as a pagan tradition and refused to accept it.

By the 1890s, Americans finally started to accept the idea of Christmas trees when ornaments from Germany were being shipped to America. Americans preferred their trees to touch the ceiling while in Europe, most trees were about four feet tall. Homemade decorations would be used to liven up the tree in America and is still a common tradition hundreds of years later.

Christmas trees have been used all throughout history, symbolizing everything from rituals to the changing of the seasons. It holds a special place in people’s hearts all around the world and signifies the time of year where people come together to celebrate unity. As the tree stands tall and decorated with shimmering lights and delicate ornaments, let us not forget the true meaning of the season.