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The Christmas Tree

By Josef Ruland
Information kindly provided by the Consulate General of Federal Republic of Germany, Vancouver

The tree must still be decorated though - as described in the letter by the Duchess of Orléans. In earlier times, candles were perhaps enough in the eyes of children and adults. Today though everyone wants a well-decorated tree in his or her home. You can even say that there have been areas - such as Rhenish Hesse and the Spessart - where the sweets on the tree have been more important than the lights. People there spoke of a Sugar Tree rather than a Christmas tree, and this was hung with edibles and decorations. Families with children maintain this custom up to the present day.

The tradition of hanging apples and nuts in the tree is very much older, and also a lot cheaper. These nuts are painted silver and gold, or dipped in sugar, to make them more attractive. They are a part of Christmas in Scandinavia and in Northern Germany. St. Nicholas, Father Christmas, and the Christ Child all bring nuts. Roses cut out of colored paper, tinsel, and biscuits or homemade animal figures also have a long history as Christmas tree decorations.

The Christmas tree underwent a fundamental change around 1880. Glass-makers in Thuringia discovered a new way of blowing glass balls, bells, and animals, and of silver-coating the inside surface. Silver tinsel was produced from tin-foil to hang over branches of the tree, and angels' hair, spangles, and silver stars were manufactured from glass-fiber.

Links between the tree and the Christian festival were established in the second half of the 18th century, particularly in Hamburg and Berlin. Here and there people started to hang a wax angel in the tree, and to decorate the topmost branch with a big golden star. Larger angels bore the inscription "Glory to God in the highest" in their hands.

Today every family has its own way of decorating the tree. Some families stick to nothing but candles, glass-balls, and tinsel. Others only employ straw stars and lights to beautify their trees. Innovations such as stars made from straw or wood shavings have also considerably helped producers of arts and crafts. There are families, which embellish their tree with red balls, red tinsel, and red candles. Others limit themselves to silver decorations with white candles. Families with children used to resort to electric candles so as to avoid fires but that almost belongs to the past again. Anyone who can afford it employs candles made from real bee's wax, which disseminate a marvelous aroma even though they may burn more quickly. Wherever there are children, sweets are once again hung in the tree. Chocolate and marzipan rings are great favorites along with filled chocolates in the shape of nuts, bells, stars, or money.

The Catholic Church has played a special part with regard to Christmas greenery. It used to be completely opposed to this, presuming, not unjustly, that a great regard for greenery was a facade for heathendom and a relapse into pre-Christian customs.

Very much time passed before the Church allowed "Christ trees" (the only permissible name!) to be set up in churches. From the 13th and 14th centuries onwards, Catholics had taken over cribs from the Franciscan tradition as a substitute for greenery. When children in Protestant districts go and visit their playmates around Christmas, they say "We want to see your tree" whilst in Catholic areas they would still talk of wanting to see the crib. These differences are, of course, on the decline now, particularly in the big towns - and yet there are still many fathers who take their youngest to see cribs in local churches between Christmas and the New Year.

It was only recently therefore that the Christ or the Christmas tree was accepted in Catholic areas. This happened around 1900 in towns but took considerably longer in country districts. The tree only made its way in the hills on both sides of the Rhine after the First World War. Older village people report that they first experienced a Christmas tree in the home around 1930. It was even longer before the tree reached the last village church.

The German Christmas tree made its way abroad at a much earlier date. The tradition of a decorated tree was taken to America by the many German immigrants. The tree was late in reaching France but established itself quickly. A German in Paris, Friedrich Hermann, reported in 1890 on how that came about. "A distribution of presents to poor children at the German St. Josepi's schools in Villette took place for the first time thirty years ago (1860). Two of the organizers had to go from domestic market to domestic market, hunted through the great market halls where the rarest products and most unusual goods are to be found, and went to the leading flower shops in order to get hold of a little fir tree that was scarcely three foot high. The seller said he had just taken the tree to market on the off-chance since he had to root it up anyway. He said he had once heard a vague story about the Germans' Christ tree at Christmas. In 1869 there were fir trees at most markets and even some at the chief flower shops. In 1890, several hundred and then thousands of trees were brought to the central market halls between the 10th and 15th of December, and some went to other markets and dealers too. Apart from the markets, some 300 dealers and shops in all parts of the city offered Christmas trees. Careful estimates indicate that between 30,000 and 35,000 were sold".

In England, the Christmas tree is said to have been taken up by the royal court around 1840. It arrived in Schleswig-Holstein, the most northerly part of Germany, as late as in Paris. It is quite clear that the larger towns were quicker to take up the Christmas tree. It was to be found in Berlin from 1780 onwards but it was over a hundred years before the tree penetrated as far as frontier areas.

Even today, parents arrange matters so that their three- to six year-olds do not notice when the tree comes into the house. It often stands for a time in a little-used corner. The father and mother usually only put the tree in its proper place on the 23rd of December. Even then it is supposed to remain a secret from the children until Christmas Eve. The room is usually locked, and even when space is very limited in the home parents do all they can to keep the tree as a surprise for their children. This moment of surprise is extremely important for the Christmas festivity as a whole. Even though the children will have seen trees ablaze with light in towns, department stores, or in the neighbor's garden long before Christmas, the most beautiful and overwhelming impression is still provided by the moment when the lights are put out in the house and the door of the hitherto locked room is opened to reveal the family tree in all its radiance. Thousands of people travel long distances right up to Christmas in order to be present for this experience. It is certainly not easy for a non-German to comprehend this fundamental characteristic, uniting a degree of child-like naiveté and sentimentality. Anyone who has really experienced it though will surely be able to understand why a Christmas song starts with the words:

"No finer tree in all the world
than Christ's tree of old"

Advent • St. Nicholas • The Christmas Markets • Christmas Eve

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