This is Lee Habib, and this is our American Stories, and all show long a celebration of Christmas. Up next. Our next story comes to us from a man who's simply known as the History Guy. His videos are watched by hundreds of thousands of people of all ages over on YouTube. The History Guy has also heard here on Our American Stories. Let's take a listen to the History Guy as he recalls the forgotten history of Christmas. Trees.

This is Lee Habib, and this is our American Stories, and all show long a celebration of Christmas. Up next. Our next story comes to us from a man who's simply known as the History Guy. His videos are watched by hundreds of thousands of people of all ages over on YouTube. The History Guy has also heard here on Our American Stories. Let's take a listen to the History Guy as he recalls the forgotten history of Christmas. Trees.

Traditions involving evergreen plants in midwinter is ancient as civilization. The winter solstice, the point where one of the ears polls has its maximum tilt away from the sun, occurs in December in the northern hemisphere, very close to Christmas, usually December twentieth or twenty first. The solstice represents the longest night in the shortest day of the year, and days thereafter we'll longer until the summer solstice. Many ancient religions saw the significance to them. Winter came because the Sun God had grown ill or weak, and the solstice was a cause for celebration as it represented the day when the Sun God began to recover. Evergreen plants were used because they represented the triumph of life over death. In ancient Egypt, on the solstice, people decorated their homes with green palm proms and a celebration of raw, the god of the San. Ancient Romans celebrated Saturnalia Racus festival in honor of Saturn, the god of wealth and agriculture, in mid December, and the festival of gift giving and libation included decorating the home with evergreen boughs. Celtic druids and ancient Breton decorated evergreen trees at the onset of winter to ensure eight fruitful coming year. Germanic people's venerated sacred trees and oaks, and associated the evergreen tree with a god Balder, who was associated with the San. In ancient Germanic and Scabinavian traditions, trees were seen as a protection from the wild hunt, a chaotic time when a mythical figure led a hunt of souls it could spell doom. In Scandinavian folklore, the hunt was led by the god Woden and occurred during the midwinter festival called Yule, whose traditions affected many later Christmas traditions, but it's not clear how if at all, these pre Christian traditions affected the modern tradition of Christmas trees. A more likely predecessor is mystery plays, plays that depicted Biblical stories that were the origin of passion plays. Mystery plays started to be introduced into sacred services in Europe around the fifth century. The place would be associated with dates, and in many countries the liturgical calendar celebrated Saints Adam and Eve on December twenty fourth. The mystery place on Christmas Eve therefore often featured the so called tree of knowledge of good and evil, also called the Tree of life from which Eve took the apple given to Adam. The tree was decorated with red apples and white wafers. The decoration of a Christmas bow by the Catholic religious order of Cistercians, noted in a fifteenth century reference to an evergreen bow decorated with red oranges and candles, is seen by some as the earliest reference to a Christmas tree, But the tradition of Christmas trees might actually not be related to pre Christian pagan traditions, or even to Christian mystery plays. According to a December eighteenth, twenty twenty edition of National Geographic The cities of Riga, Latvia, and Tallann Estonia have an ongoing argument over which city was the first to host a real Christmas tree, and that debate has to do with a mysterious medieval order called the Brotherhood of the Blackheads, established in what was then called Livonia in the mid thirteenth century. The Brotherhood was an association of local, unmarried merchants, shipowners, and foreigners urgently created help fight an indigenous uprising against Christianity called the Saint George's Night Uprising again fifteen forty three. While the order had a military history in chivalric tradition, it was largely an association of merchants and tradespeople. In the middle fifteenth century, they apparently took up the practice of raising and decorating a real or ersatz tree with fruits and nuts in their guilt. They would then haul the tree to the middle of town, dance around it, and set fire to it. Lafia claims the first such event occurred in Riga in fifteen ten, and Estonia claims the first was in Tallent in fourteen forty four, but the evidence is sketchy to support either claim. While the debate is seen to affect tourism travel for Christmas celebration. The odd thing is that these supposed first Christmas trees might not have had anything to do with Christmas. As A historian for the National Library of Lafia, quoted in The New York Times in twenty sixteen, notes that these events were likely rooted in rituals and traditions unique to the Blackheads, when bi annual celebrations served as a means of inducting new members. Thus, the Christmas tree tradition might actually have been secular. The first firmly dated representation of a Christmas tree is in fifteen seventy six in alsas which is today part of France, but it's on the border with German animals Many German traditions. The Christmas market in the Alsatian city of Strasburg is among the oldest in Europe, dating as far back is fifteen seventy and at least in modern times, is famous for its Christmas tree. The practice of decorating a tree in the home as we know it today is generally seen as having evolved in Germany in the sixteenth century. The tradition may have been associated with Protestantism, as the trees and the homes might have been a Protestant response to the Catholic tradition of Christmas cribs or Nativity scenes. Most directly, the story of decorating a Christmas trees been associated with the sixteenth century religious reformer Martin Luther. According to the story, Luther was walking home one winter evening and was struck by the beauty of brilliant stars against the evergreen trees of the German forests. He brought a tree to his home and decorated with candles as a way to represent the scene. Writer Dorothy Haskins explained he wanted to stand there ever greatly as a reminder to his children that when the world was at its bleakest moment, sad and helpless and covered the wave of sin, God sent his son everlasting life itself to bring hope in the midst of the dark and chill. Although it isn't clear if the story of Luther is real or apocryphal, the tradition quickly became associated with Protestant reformers, and Christmas tree was placed in the cathedral of Strasburg at the direction of reformer Martin Booser in fifteen thirty nine. The tradition became common in the Upper Rhineland by the eighteenth century, but less so along the lower Riding, where there was a Roman Catholic majority. However, trees also have a particular meaning in Catholic doctrine. In the Catholic Church offen sites in eighth century a d story where Saint Boniface cut down an oak tree called Donor's Oak in central Germany that was being used as a pagan symbol and stead offered a fir tree as a holy tree that being an evergreen, represented endless life as the origin of the Christmas tree. If so, the Vatican was somewhat slow in coming to the party, only starting a Christmas tree tradition in Saint Peter Square in nineteen eighty two.

Traditions involving evergreen plants in midwinter is ancient as civilization. The winter solstice, the point where one of the ears polls has its maximum tilt away from the sun, occurs in December in the northern hemisphere, very close to Christmas, usually December twentieth or twenty first. The solstice represents the longest night in the shortest day of the year, and days thereafter we'll longer until the summer solstice. Many ancient religions saw the significance to them. Winter came because the Sun God had grown ill or weak, and the solstice was a cause for celebration as it represented the day when the Sun God began to recover. Evergreen plants were used because they represented the triumph of life over death. In ancient Egypt, on the solstice, people decorated their homes with green palm proms and a celebration of raw, the god of the San. Ancient Romans celebrated Saturnalia Racus festival in honor of Saturn, the god of wealth and agriculture, in mid December, and the festival of gift giving and libation included decorating the home with evergreen boughs. Celtic druids and ancient Breton decorated evergreen trees at the onset of winter to ensure eight fruitful coming year. Germanic people's venerated sacred trees and oaks, and associated the evergreen tree with a god Balder, who was associated with the San. In ancient Germanic and Scabinavian traditions, trees were seen as a protection from the wild hunt, a chaotic time when a mythical figure led a hunt of souls it could spell doom. In Scandinavian folklore, the hunt was led by the god Woden and occurred during the midwinter festival called Yule, whose traditions affected many later Christmas traditions, but it's not clear how if at all, these pre Christian traditions affected the modern tradition of Christmas trees. A more likely predecessor is mystery plays, plays that depicted Biblical stories that were the origin of passion plays. Mystery plays started to be introduced into sacred services in Europe around the fifth century. The place would be associated with dates, and in many countries the liturgical calendar celebrated Saints Adam and Eve on December twenty fourth. The mystery place on Christmas Eve therefore often featured the so called tree of knowledge of good and evil, also called the Tree of life from which Eve took the apple given to Adam. The tree was decorated with red apples and white wafers. The decoration of a Christmas bow by the Catholic religious order of Cistercians, noted in a fifteenth century reference to an evergreen bow decorated with red oranges and candles, is seen by some as the earliest reference to a Christmas tree, But the tradition of Christmas trees might actually not be related to pre Christian pagan traditions, or even to Christian mystery plays. According to a December eighteenth, twenty twenty edition of National Geographic The cities of Riga, Latvia, and Tallann Estonia have an ongoing argument over which city was the first to host a real Christmas tree, and that debate has to do with a mysterious medieval order called the Brotherhood of the Blackheads, established in what was then called Livonia in the mid thirteenth century. The Brotherhood was an association of local, unmarried merchants, shipowners, and foreigners urgently created help fight an indigenous uprising against Christianity called the Saint George's Night Uprising again fifteen forty three. While the order had a military history in chivalric tradition, it was largely an association of merchants and tradespeople. In the middle fifteenth century, they apparently took up the practice of raising and decorating a real or ersatz tree with fruits and nuts in their guilt. They would then haul the tree to the middle of town, dance around it, and set fire to it. Lafia claims the first such event occurred in Riga in fifteen ten, and Estonia claims the first was in Tallent in fourteen forty four, but the evidence is sketchy to support either claim. While the debate is seen to affect tourism travel for Christmas celebration. The odd thing is that these supposed first Christmas trees might not have had anything to do with Christmas. As A historian for the National Library of Lafia, quoted in The New York Times in twenty sixteen, notes that these events were likely rooted in rituals and traditions unique to the Blackheads, when bi annual celebrations served as a means of inducting new members. Thus, the Christmas tree tradition might actually have been secular. The first firmly dated representation of a Christmas tree is in fifteen seventy six in alsas which is today part of France, but it's on the border with German animals Many German traditions. The Christmas market in the Alsatian city of Strasburg is among the oldest in Europe, dating as far back is fifteen seventy and at least in modern times, is famous for its Christmas tree. The practice of decorating a tree in the home as we know it today is generally seen as having evolved in Germany in the sixteenth century. The tradition may have been associated with Protestantism, as the trees and the homes might have been a Protestant response to the Catholic tradition of Christmas cribs or Nativity scenes. Most directly, the story of decorating a Christmas trees been associated with the sixteenth century religious reformer Martin Luther. According to the story, Luther was walking home one winter evening and was struck by the beauty of brilliant stars against the evergreen trees of the German forests. He brought a tree to his home and decorated with candles as a way to represent the scene. Writer Dorothy Haskins explained he wanted to stand there ever greatly as a reminder to his children that when the world was at its bleakest moment, sad and helpless and covered the wave of sin, God sent his son everlasting life itself to bring hope in the midst of the dark and chill. Although it isn't clear if the story of Luther is real or apocryphal, the tradition quickly became associated with Protestant reformers, and Christmas tree was placed in the cathedral of Strasburg at the direction of reformer Martin Booser in fifteen thirty nine. The tradition became common in the Upper Rhineland by the eighteenth century, but less so along the lower Riding, where there was a Roman Catholic majority. However, trees also have a particular meaning in Catholic doctrine. In the Catholic Church offen sites in eighth century a d story where Saint Boniface cut down an oak tree called Donor's Oak in central Germany that was being used as a pagan symbol and stead offered a fir tree as a holy tree that being an evergreen, represented endless life as the origin of the Christmas tree. If so, the Vatican was somewhat slow in coming to the party, only starting a Christmas tree tradition in Saint Peter Square in nineteen eighty two.

And you've been listening to the History Guy tell the story of the origins of the Christmas Tree, and we love hearing from him regularly. And you can go to our website and put in History Guy and catch all of the work he's done and it's so good. Or better still, go to his YouTube channel and look up the History Guy and you'll find it and just enjoy yourself. It's a really unique voice he has and a great grasp of detail as it relates to almost every subject imaginable. When we come back, more with the History Guy and more on the history of the Christmas Tree. Here on our American Stories, Lie Hibibi here the host of our American Stories. Every day on this show, we're bringing inspiring stories from across this great country, stories from our big cities and small towns. But we truly can't do the show without you. Our stories are free to listen to, but they're not free to make. If you love what you hear, go to Ouramericanstories dot com and click the donate button. Give a little, give a lot. Go to Alamerican stories dot com and give and we continue with our American Stories and with the History Guy and the history of the Christmas Tree.

And you've been listening to the History Guy tell the story of the origins of the Christmas Tree, and we love hearing from him regularly. And you can go to our website and put in History Guy and catch all of the work he's done and it's so good. Or better still, go to his YouTube channel and look up the History Guy and you'll find it and just enjoy yourself. It's a really unique voice he has and a great grasp of detail as it relates to almost every subject imaginable. When we come back, more with the History Guy and more on the history of the Christmas Tree. Here on our American Stories, Lie Hibibi here the host of our American Stories. Every day on this show, we're bringing inspiring stories from across this great country, stories from our big cities and small towns. But we truly can't do the show without you. Our stories are free to listen to, but they're not free to make. If you love what you hear, go to Ouramericanstories dot com and click the donate button. Give a little, give a lot. Go to Alamerican stories dot com and give and we continue with our American Stories and with the History Guy and the history of the Christmas Tree.

By the nineteenth century, the tradition had taken hold all cross Germany and was seen to be an expression of German culture. In fact, that is how the tradition of Christmas trees luckily first came to the United States, with Hessian troops fighting in the American Revolution, as well as with German immigrants as early as seventeen seventy seven. Still, the tradition was not widely accepted in the US, or it was largely perceived as a quaint, foreign or even pagan tradition. If Protestants created the Christmas tree tradition in Germany, they vehemently opposed it. In England, the Puritan saw Christmas as a frivolous addition to the religious calendar, and were particularly offended by wasteful excess like seeing carols and decorating trees. A sixteen forty three ordnance during the Protectorate encouraging subjects to treat the midwinter period with more solemn humiliation, because it may call to remembrance our sins and the sins of our forefathers, who have turned this feast, pretending the memory of Christ into an extreme forgetfulness of van by giving liberty to carnal and sensual delights. As Lord Protector, Oliver Cromwell had to patrol the streets to rest anyone who looked like they were headed to a special Christmas Eve service and confiscate any food discovered being prepared for Christmas celebrations. The same attitude prevailed among Puritans in the Americas. According to history dot com. In sixteen fifty nine, the General Court of Massachusetts enacted a law banning any celebration of December twenty fifth and finding people for hanging decorations. The change in both Great Britain and the United States was imported from Germany via the royal family. The tradition of decorating a whole tree was brought to the British royal family by Queen Charlotte, wife of George the Third, in eighteen hundred. While the Autrician did not buy and large at the time, spread beyond the royal family. It was well recognized by young Victoria Alexandrina, who would later be crowned Queen Victoria. When she married her cousin, Prince Albert of Saxe, Coburg and Gotha in eighteen forty one, the queen and her consort made a point of advertising their Christmas traditions, reinforced by Albert's German heritage. With their eventual nine children, the traditions solely became more popular, boosted significantly when the Illustrated London News portrayed the royal family with their tree in eighteen forty eight. Statis conscious Britains quickly began emulating the royal couple. The tradition briefly fell out of favor due to the anti German sentiment during the Great War, but by the nineteen twenties was common among all classes. A special tradition was started following the Second World War, where the Government of Norway since nineteen forty seven donates a Norway spruce tree each year to the people of Britain as a token of gratitude for British support during the Second World War, when the British government hosted the Norwegian government in exile. The tree is the focus of a traditional carol singing program, and according to the web page of the City of London, for many Londoners, the Christmas tree and the carol singing in Trafalgar Square signals the countdown to Christmas. The city bills the tree as the world it's most famous Christmas tree. As with the United Kingdom, the Christmas tree tradition was spread throughout Europe by the largely intermarried European nobility. Nobility was not quite as popular in the United States, but upper classed as conscience Americans tended to emulate their European peers. In an odd twist, the eighteen forty eight illustration of The Queen and her Concert was also popular in the United States, printed in the women's magazine Godey's Ladybook in eighteen fifty, but was modified to remove the queen's crown and the Prince consort's sacs, resembling a more typical family. The well known illustration is credited with popularizing Christmas trees in the United States, where there were more than three million Germans, but immigrated between eighteen forty and eighteen eighty and the Puritan fervor of the seventeenth century had faded. Still, various complaints about the German tradition being un American persisted through the Great War period. There is some anecdotal evidence that tree was placed in the White House in the eighteen forties under the Tayler administration, and others edit tree was placed during the Peerce administration in the eighteen fifties, but the most credible reports do not place a Christmas tree in the White House until eighteen eighty nine during the Benjamin Harrison administration, when it was placed on the second floor and decorated with candles for the Harrison grandchildren. But a White House Christmas tree did not become an immediate tradition and was left to the whims of the occupant and often depended upon whether there were children in the White House. First Lady lew Henry Hoover started a tradition of an official White House tree with decorations decided by the First Lady in nineteen twenty nine, with only two exceptions. The White House Christmas Tree has been placed on the first floor Blue Room since nineteen sixty one and is commonly called the Blue Room Christmas Tree. The tradition of placing a tree in Rockefeller Center in Mintown, Manhattan, between West forty eighth and fifty first Streets in fifth and sixth Avenues didn't begin until nineteen thirty one. First tree was placed by construction workers building Rockefeller Center. Workers pulled their money for the tree, which was decorated with homemade decorations made by their families. In nineteen thirty three, Rockefeller Center decided to make an annual tree a tradition, and the now iconic ice drink was opened in nineteen thirty six. The lighting of the tree was first televised in nineteen fifty and today the ceremonies broadcasted hundreds of millions and as many as one hundred and twenty five million people visit the tree in a normal year. While early traditions included ersatz trees, often wooden platforms covered with evergreen boughs, something approximating a modern artificial tree was developed earlier than you might think. By the eighteen eighties, Germans became concerned about the use of Christmas trees because of deforestation. As a solution, a type of artificial tree made of green dyed goose feathers wrapped around a wire frame was developed. Feather trees were popular throughout the nineteenth century and had a brief surge of popularity in the United States in the early twentieth century, when they were sold at department stores and tatted for not dropping needles. In nineteen thirty, a maker of housewares, the Attis Brush Company, produced an artificial tree made from brush bristles. They used the same process and equipment used for making toilet brushes that used green bristles, and were sold into the nineteen fifties. Alumen trees, manufactured from about nineteen fifty five into the nineteen seventies, were briefly popular in the United States. More than a million were produced by the Aluminum Specialty Company of meant what Wisconsin between nineteen fifty nine and nineteen sixty nine, But in nineteen sixty five, a Charlie Brown's children's cartoon portrayed illumine trees as symbols of the commercialization of Christmas and the market faded.

By the nineteenth century, the tradition had taken hold all cross Germany and was seen to be an expression of German culture. In fact, that is how the tradition of Christmas trees luckily first came to the United States, with Hessian troops fighting in the American Revolution, as well as with German immigrants as early as seventeen seventy seven. Still, the tradition was not widely accepted in the US, or it was largely perceived as a quaint, foreign or even pagan tradition. If Protestants created the Christmas tree tradition in Germany, they vehemently opposed it. In England, the Puritan saw Christmas as a frivolous addition to the religious calendar, and were particularly offended by wasteful excess like seeing carols and decorating trees. A sixteen forty three ordnance during the Protectorate encouraging subjects to treat the midwinter period with more solemn humiliation, because it may call to remembrance our sins and the sins of our forefathers, who have turned this feast, pretending the memory of Christ into an extreme forgetfulness of van by giving liberty to carnal and sensual delights. As Lord Protector, Oliver Cromwell had to patrol the streets to rest anyone who looked like they were headed to a special Christmas Eve service and confiscate any food discovered being prepared for Christmas celebrations. The same attitude prevailed among Puritans in the Americas. According to history dot com. In sixteen fifty nine, the General Court of Massachusetts enacted a law banning any celebration of December twenty fifth and finding people for hanging decorations. The change in both Great Britain and the United States was imported from Germany via the royal family. The tradition of decorating a whole tree was brought to the British royal family by Queen Charlotte, wife of George the Third, in eighteen hundred. While the Autrician did not buy and large at the time, spread beyond the royal family. It was well recognized by young Victoria Alexandrina, who would later be crowned Queen Victoria. When she married her cousin, Prince Albert of Saxe, Coburg and Gotha in eighteen forty one, the queen and her consort made a point of advertising their Christmas traditions, reinforced by Albert's German heritage. With their eventual nine children, the traditions solely became more popular, boosted significantly when the Illustrated London News portrayed the royal family with their tree in eighteen forty eight. Statis conscious Britains quickly began emulating the royal couple. The tradition briefly fell out of favor due to the anti German sentiment during the Great War, but by the nineteen twenties was common among all classes. A special tradition was started following the Second World War, where the Government of Norway since nineteen forty seven donates a Norway spruce tree each year to the people of Britain as a token of gratitude for British support during the Second World War, when the British government hosted the Norwegian government in exile. The tree is the focus of a traditional carol singing program, and according to the web page of the City of London, for many Londoners, the Christmas tree and the carol singing in Trafalgar Square signals the countdown to Christmas. The city bills the tree as the world it's most famous Christmas tree. As with the United Kingdom, the Christmas tree tradition was spread throughout Europe by the largely intermarried European nobility. Nobility was not quite as popular in the United States, but upper classed as conscience Americans tended to emulate their European peers. In an odd twist, the eighteen forty eight illustration of The Queen and her Concert was also popular in the United States, printed in the women's magazine Godey's Ladybook in eighteen fifty, but was modified to remove the queen's crown and the Prince consort's sacs, resembling a more typical family. The well known illustration is credited with popularizing Christmas trees in the United States, where there were more than three million Germans, but immigrated between eighteen forty and eighteen eighty and the Puritan fervor of the seventeenth century had faded. Still, various complaints about the German tradition being un American persisted through the Great War period. There is some anecdotal evidence that tree was placed in the White House in the eighteen forties under the Tayler administration, and others edit tree was placed during the Peerce administration in the eighteen fifties, but the most credible reports do not place a Christmas tree in the White House until eighteen eighty nine during the Benjamin Harrison administration, when it was placed on the second floor and decorated with candles for the Harrison grandchildren. But a White House Christmas tree did not become an immediate tradition and was left to the whims of the occupant and often depended upon whether there were children in the White House. First Lady lew Henry Hoover started a tradition of an official White House tree with decorations decided by the First Lady in nineteen twenty nine, with only two exceptions. The White House Christmas Tree has been placed on the first floor Blue Room since nineteen sixty one and is commonly called the Blue Room Christmas Tree. The tradition of placing a tree in Rockefeller Center in Mintown, Manhattan, between West forty eighth and fifty first Streets in fifth and sixth Avenues didn't begin until nineteen thirty one. First tree was placed by construction workers building Rockefeller Center. Workers pulled their money for the tree, which was decorated with homemade decorations made by their families. In nineteen thirty three, Rockefeller Center decided to make an annual tree a tradition, and the now iconic ice drink was opened in nineteen thirty six. The lighting of the tree was first televised in nineteen fifty and today the ceremonies broadcasted hundreds of millions and as many as one hundred and twenty five million people visit the tree in a normal year. While early traditions included ersatz trees, often wooden platforms covered with evergreen boughs, something approximating a modern artificial tree was developed earlier than you might think. By the eighteen eighties, Germans became concerned about the use of Christmas trees because of deforestation. As a solution, a type of artificial tree made of green dyed goose feathers wrapped around a wire frame was developed. Feather trees were popular throughout the nineteenth century and had a brief surge of popularity in the United States in the early twentieth century, when they were sold at department stores and tatted for not dropping needles. In nineteen thirty, a maker of housewares, the Attis Brush Company, produced an artificial tree made from brush bristles. They used the same process and equipment used for making toilet brushes that used green bristles, and were sold into the nineteen fifties. Alumen trees, manufactured from about nineteen fifty five into the nineteen seventies, were briefly popular in the United States. More than a million were produced by the Aluminum Specialty Company of meant what Wisconsin between nineteen fifty nine and nineteen sixty nine, But in nineteen sixty five, a Charlie Brown's children's cartoon portrayed illumine trees as symbols of the commercialization of Christmas and the market faded.

I don't know, maias I just don't know. Well, I guess we'd better concentrate on finding a nice Christmas tree. I suggest we try those switch lights, Charlie Brown. This really rings Christmas clothes to a Burthen fantastic gee, they still make wooden Christmas tree. This little green one here seems to meet the homes. I don't know, Charlie Brown. Remember what Lucy said. This doesn't seem to It's the modern spirit.

I don't know, maias I just don't know. Well, I guess we'd better concentrate on finding a nice Christmas tree. I suggest we try those switch lights, Charlie Brown. This really rings Christmas clothes to a Burthen fantastic gee, they still make wooden Christmas tree. This little green one here seems to meet the homes. I don't know, Charlie Brown. Remember what Lucy said. This doesn't seem to It's the modern spirit.

I don't care.

I don't care.

All decorated and it'll be just right for our play. Besides, I think it means to me.

All decorated and it'll be just right for our play. Besides, I think it means to me.

Today. There's a market for vintage and antique trees, such as other trees, addus, brush trees and aluminum trees, but most modern arficial trees are made of PVC and most commonly manufactured in China. There are ongoing debates about the economic and environmental impacts of real versus artificial Christmas trees. A twenty seventeen survey by the American Christmas Tree Association found that around eighty one percent of America's approximately ninety five million Christmas trees were artificial, although other surveys suggests that the number may be closer to around two thirds. Still, as many as thirty million natural Christmas trees are produced in the United States every year, and as many as sixty million in Europe. While the tradition seems harmless, a twenty twenty survey by the website Value Penguin found that nearly one in twenty Americans having been injured while putting up a Christmas tree, and three quarters it meant to have forgotten to turn the lights out at nine, which can be a fire hazard. According to the National Fire Protection Association, there's an average of about one hundred and sixty home fires in the United States attributed to Christmas trees each year, causing around ten million dollars property loss and an average of two deaths per fire. To limit the risk of fire, the website aciweather suggests buying fresher looking trees, keeping them well watered, shaking the tree to see if the needles are detaching, checking the lights and turning them off at night, and keeping the tree away from heat sources such as radiators, fireplaces, and candles. And even with their long history, the future of Christmas tree still looks very bright. A twenty nineteen report on CNN noted that in the previous year twenty eighteen, more Christmas trees were sold in America than ever before in history. The reason is that the generation called the Millennials are now settling down and having children. Jessica Lutz of the American Relator's Association asserts that millennials might actually be more attracted to Christmas trees than previous generations because of their obsession with posting photographs on social media, where a picture of the family in front of the Christmas tree is quickly becoming an Instagram staple.

Today. There's a market for vintage and antique trees, such as other trees, addus, brush trees and aluminum trees, but most modern arficial trees are made of PVC and most commonly manufactured in China. There are ongoing debates about the economic and environmental impacts of real versus artificial Christmas trees. A twenty seventeen survey by the American Christmas Tree Association found that around eighty one percent of America's approximately ninety five million Christmas trees were artificial, although other surveys suggests that the number may be closer to around two thirds. Still, as many as thirty million natural Christmas trees are produced in the United States every year, and as many as sixty million in Europe. While the tradition seems harmless, a twenty twenty survey by the website Value Penguin found that nearly one in twenty Americans having been injured while putting up a Christmas tree, and three quarters it meant to have forgotten to turn the lights out at nine, which can be a fire hazard. According to the National Fire Protection Association, there's an average of about one hundred and sixty home fires in the United States attributed to Christmas trees each year, causing around ten million dollars property loss and an average of two deaths per fire. To limit the risk of fire, the website aciweather suggests buying fresher looking trees, keeping them well watered, shaking the tree to see if the needles are detaching, checking the lights and turning them off at night, and keeping the tree away from heat sources such as radiators, fireplaces, and candles. And even with their long history, the future of Christmas tree still looks very bright. A twenty nineteen report on CNN noted that in the previous year twenty eighteen, more Christmas trees were sold in America than ever before in history. The reason is that the generation called the Millennials are now settling down and having children. Jessica Lutz of the American Relator's Association asserts that millennials might actually be more attracted to Christmas trees than previous generations because of their obsession with posting photographs on social media, where a picture of the family in front of the Christmas tree is quickly becoming an Instagram staple.

And you've been listening to the History of the Christmas Tree. The special thanks on the production to Greg Hangler and a special thanks as always to the History Guy and you can find him on YouTube. And the range, breadth and depth of his storytelling is remarkable. And by the way, who knew that it was President Hoover's wife who institutionalized the Christmas Tree as we know it outside the White House, and my goodness, as a kid growing up in northern New Jersey, it was unimaginable to skip a Christmas not going to Rock Center and seeing the Christmas Tree and it's lighting. One hundred and twenty five million people a year visit that tree, and it was started because a bunch of construction workers building Rockefeller Center had decided to put up their own makeshift tree. The Story of the Christmas Tree. Thirty million, more or less natural Christmas trees a year are used by Americans. The Story of the Christmas Tree a staple of American life. Here on our American Stories

And you've been listening to the History of the Christmas Tree. The special thanks on the production to Greg Hangler and a special thanks as always to the History Guy and you can find him on YouTube. And the range, breadth and depth of his storytelling is remarkable. And by the way, who knew that it was President Hoover's wife who institutionalized the Christmas Tree as we know it outside the White House, and my goodness, as a kid growing up in northern New Jersey, it was unimaginable to skip a Christmas not going to Rock Center and seeing the Christmas Tree and it's lighting. One hundred and twenty five million people a year visit that tree, and it was started because a bunch of construction workers building Rockefeller Center had decided to put up their own makeshift tree. The Story of the Christmas Tree. Thirty million, more or less natural Christmas trees a year are used by Americans. The Story of the Christmas Tree a staple of American life. Here on our American Stories