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25 Facts About.... Christmas Trees

1. Christmas trees are also known as the Yule-Tree.

2. Christmas trees are evergreen trees, usually either a fir tree, pine tree or spruce tree.

3. It is believed that decorating Christmas trees originated in 16th century Germany when Christians would bring decorated trees into their homes.

4. Christmas trees were first decorated with foods such as apples, nuts and dates.

5. In the 18th Century Christmas trees began to be decorated with candles.

6.Electric Christmas tree lights were first used in 1895.

7. Tinsel was once made of real silver. It was invented in Germany in 1610.

8. The tallest christmas tree every displayed was in Seattle, Washignton in 1950. The christmas tree was 221 feet tall!

9. Each year between 34-36 million christmas trees are produced to cope with the holiday demand.

10. America’s official national Christmas tree is located in King’s Canyon National Park in California. The tree, a giant sequoia called the “General Grant Tree”, is over 90 meters (300 feet) high, and was made the official Christmas tree in 1925.

11. Artificial Christmas trees have outsold real ones since 1991.

12.Christmas trees are grown in every U.S. State including Hawaii and Alaska!

13. Teddy Roosevelt banned Christmas trees at the white house. He didn't believe the act to be very majestic so enacted a total ban on putting up a tree in the white house during his time as president.

14. Even before the time of Christ, evergreen trees were seen in winter as a symbol of fertility.

15. A ‘Tree of Paradise’ was also used in old mystery plays to symbolise the Garden of Eden. Apples hung on it may be the origin of tree decorations.

16. Since 1947, the tree in London’s Trafalgar Square has been a gift each year from the city of Oslo, Norway.

17. Real Christmas trees came eighth in a survey of the nation’s favourite smells in 2004, just behind the sea but ahead of perfume.

18. Manufactured Christmas tree ornaments were first sold by Woolworths in 1880.

19. The average Christmas tree contains about 30,000 bugs and insects.

20. Martin Luther is credited with the idea of lights on Christmas trees. The 16th-century monk added candles to his tree to look like stars in a forest.

21. England’s first Christmas tree was brought to Windsor by Charlotte, wife of George III, in 1800...

22.…but it was the trees brought in the 1840s by Prince Albert, consort of Queen Victoria, that led to their popularity throughout the UK.

23. The first use of the term ‘Christmas tree’ in English was in 1835.

24. Most Christmas trees are grown on tree farms. They are considered an agricultural product. For every Christmas tree harvested, three seedlings are planted in its place.

25. There are close to 15,000 farms growing Christmas trees in the US and over 100,000 people are employed full or part-time in the industry.