Going against the German tradition grain, we put up our tree on the 12th of December. Many Germans don't put up a tree until the 24th, the day on which all presents are opened. Christmas day is reserved for giving thanks for the birth of Jesus and spending time with family without the distraction of material things. I rather like this notion, but I do like to decorate our tree prior to the 24th. Germans (in general and traditionally) believe it's bad luck to take the tree down before the 12th night of Christmas or around Three Kings Day.
Though for thousands of years peoples like the Egyptians and Romans brought in branches and greenery to protect their homes from evil spirits said to lurk about during the long, dark days of winter (Winter Solstice), the notion of a tree brought into the home is distinctively a Germanic one.
The Christmas Tree is a Germanic tradition said to have begun in the 720s A.D. by Saint Boniface, an English missionary come to Germany to convert the German pagans to Christianity. As the story goes, St. Boniface was traveling in the present day state of Hessen near to a town called Fritzlar when he came upon a group of Germans purportedly worshiping a tree, the Donar Oak (from/related to Donner which translates as thunder, Thor). Incidentally, the German word Donner should sound familiar as it is sung often during the season in the children's song 'Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: Santa's reindeer called Donner and Blitzen have German names meaning thunder and lightening, respectively.
It is said that this tree, the Donar Oak, was holy and that sacrifices would be made upon it by the Germanic pagans. In order to prove God's might, St. Boniface decided to chop down the tree. St. Boniface swung his heavy ax once, and as it struck the tree, a great wind arose and felled the tree; the Germans were converted. St. Boniface then had the great oak cut into boards or planks and built a chapel with the wood dedicating it to St. Peter. The wooden chapel stood until 1070 at which time it was destroyed by Saxon rebels. Today a stone cathedral stands were the wooden chapel was erected.
Out of the stump of oak tree grew a small sapling, which many say was a fir tree (Tannenbaum). St. Boniface took the sapling into his home and viewed it as a Christian symbol: its branches were green and everlasting just like God's love for us and they grew toward and pointed to heaven. Hence, this is the first 'record' of the Christmas tree. St. Boniface is also known as the apostle of Germany as he introduced Christianity to much of the country. He holds a special place in the hearts of natives of Mainz, as he was the first Archbishop of Mainz.
The first documented evidence of a Christmas tree comes to us from Strasbourg, a city once belonging to Germany but now lies in France. There are other stories pertaining to the history of the tree, some pointing to Martin Luther who is said to have thought of lighting candles on the tree.
Whatever you chose to believe, the tradition is authentically Germanic. In fact, the custom of the tree spread throughout Europe as Germans married into other foreign houses, especially where England is concerned. Queen Victoria married Albert, who hailed from Saxe-Coburg, and invited him to continue with the his Christmas traditions as carried out in his childhood. In 1848, an illustration of the royal family surrounding a decorated tree was published in a fashionable magazine. The result was that the public emulated the Queen, and the Christmas tree was absorbed into English culture. German emigrants brought their customs with them the America, and now something like 1 in 5 American families decorate a Christmas tree.
Glass ornaments were first blown in Germany, and they were initially all silver colored as mercury or lead was poured into the ball and swirled around so that the inside was fully covered. Today, many Germans still use candles to light their trees, and cookies and apples are known to adorn the branches alongside of the beautiful glass balls.
I don't believe our tree would be lauded as the penultimate, but the kiddos were happy to decorate with our many homemade ornaments. Our ceramic floor dictates that we don't use glass balls.
Log was hoisted to place the star on the top!
My little helpers
Believe it or not, Germans use trees that aren't quite as full as we Americans would like. Click here to see Queen Victoria's tree; it looks much like our sparse tree.
Log was in charge of making hot chocolate while I finished our cookies that we munch on while trimming our tree.
*If you don't find it cloying, I can introduce different aspects of German culture/customs/history I teach to the blog.
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