How Did We Go About Decorating Our Home For Christmas?

The origins of Christmas decorations can be traced back to ancient winter celebrations, which began long before the birth of Christ. Pagan traditions and Roman influence played significant roles in shaping early Christmas decorations. The use of Christmas lighting is believed to be rooted in “Yule”, the medieval pagan celebration of the winter solstice, which centered on the wheel. However, descriptions of Christmas festivities well into the 17th century focus on the decoration of the person rather than the house.

In the 1800s, houses were decorated for Christmas with outdoor Christmas light displays on houses. The tradition of decorating for Christmas has evolved from traditional Christmas trees and houses with candles during the Christmas season. Germany is credited with starting the Christmas tree tradition by the 16th century when sources record devout Christians bringing decorated trees into their homes. Some households built Christmas pyramids of wood and decorated them with evergreens and candles if wood was scarce.

The tradition of having a fir tree in our house and decorating it like this comes from the Victorians, who decorated their homes in the cold dark winter months. In medieval castles like Bodiam, in East Sussex, the castle’s servants hung up evergreen boughs and lit them. By 1860, Christmas trees were popular with the middle classes, who would have a Christmas tree in their parlor or hall, covered with candles, sweets, and other items.

In many countries, such as Sweden, people start setting up their Advent and Christmas decorations on the first day of Advent. Long before we started propping up fake firs in our living rooms, the ancient Romans were decorating their homes with wreaths of evergreen as a way to turn night into day.

It wasn’t until 1882 that Edward Johnson invented the first electrical Christmas tree lights, which were used for the first time to decorate the White House. The idea of using lights as decorations at Christmas has a long tradition, and the use of lights has always played an important role in ancient festivals.

Who started decorating for Christmas?

Germany is credited with starting the Christmas tree tradition by the 16th century, with devout Christians bringing decorated trees into their homes. Some built Christmas pyramids of wood and decorated them with evergreens and candles if wood was scarce. Martin Luther, a 16th-century Protestant reformer, is believed to have added lighted candles to a tree. The first records of Christmas trees being cut for display come from the 1820s in Pennsylvania’s German community, although trees may have been a tradition there even earlier.

Moravian Germans in Pennsylvania had a community tree in the form of a wooden pyramid decorated with candles as early as 1747. As late as the 1840s, Christmas trees were seen as pagan symbols and not accepted by most Americans.

Who came up with Christmas decorations?

The tradition of decorating a tree for Christmas originated in Germany, where they added fruits and nuts to trees to symbolize the promise of spring. In 1605, a fir tree was brought inside and adorned with paper roses, candles, nuts, and fruits. This concept spread across Germany and was brought to America by German immigrants in the 1800s. Early ornaments were made from various items, including fruit, nuts, popcorn, cranberries, paper streamers, candles, and metal foil. Even before Christmas lights were invented, the idea of lighting up a tree was popular, with foil often added to reflect light and make it glisten.

What is the purpose of decorating for Christmas?

Traditions passed down through generations often involve lighting up the facade and hanging ornaments on the tree, which can be nostalgic for the joy of the holiday season. Parents hope to recreate the magic and joy of the holiday season for their children, turning longstanding family habits into annual rituals. The decorations capture the old spark and are often seen as an incantation for a spell. Many people have at least one unique holiday decorating tradition that they believe is unique to their family.

However, many people don’t need complex symbolism behind their Christmas lights, as they can create a display that brings happiness to those who see it. A bare house in midwinter serves as the blank canvas, with lights acting as the paint.

What is the meaning behind Christmas decorations?

The evergreen tree is a symbol of hope and renewal, while blue and white decorations represent snow and winter, symbolizing purity and peace. In contrast, red decorations represent Jesus’ blood, symbolizing his sacrifice and redemption.

What is the traditional day to start decorating for Christmas?

The best time to decorate your Christmas tree depends on personal preference and other factors. Most people start decorating the weekend after Thanksgiving, while others wait until mid-December. Consider factors like the live or artificial tree, as a real tree can last around four weeks and take a couple of weeks for the natural fragrance to fully infuse your space. Artificial trees offer more flexibility as they look the same regardless of timing, making it a more suitable choice for your home.

Who invented decorating for Christmas?

It is commonly accepted that Germany was the originator of the Christmas tree tradition during the 16th century. Devout Christians are said to have introduced the custom of adorning trees in their homes and constructing pyramids of evergreens and candles.

What is the true origin of Christmas?

The birth of Jesus Christ was first attributed to December 25 in the 4th century, according to early Roman history. Early Christmas celebrations were derived from European festivals marking the end of harvest and winter solstice. Customs include greenery decoration, gifts, singing, and special food consumption. The holiday developed further with the legend of St. Nicholas, who lived in the 4th century and was believed to be a bishop in Asia Minor.

Why is everyone decorating for Christmas so early?

Psychoanalyst Steve McKeown and therapist Amy Morin have both found that putting up Christmas decorations early can extend excitement and connect people to their childhood memories. They believe that nostalgia helps link people to their personal past and helps them understand their identity. Research by Science Direct in 2020 also found that people who prepare early are seen as more personable, as decorations interacted with sociability in a complex but interpretable way.

In the absence of Christmas decorations, raters accurately distinguished between the homes of sociable and non-sociable residents, attributed to the relatively more “open” and “lived in” look of the sociable residents’ homes. This suggests that putting up Christmas decorations early can help people reconnect with their childhoods and maintain a sense of community.

What was the cause of Christmas decorations?

The Christmas Tree has a long history in Europe, dating back to pre-Christian cultures where evergreens were used as Solstice decorations. These evergreens symbolized the coming of spring and the end of winter. The fir has religious significance since the Saturnalia festival among Romans and became a symbol of the trinity in Christian cosmology in Northern Europe during the 1500s. Early cultures believed the evergreen bough could ward off illness and evil. German Lutherans attributed the origin of the Christmas tree to Martin Luther, who observed the sparkle of stars through the evergreens as he walked home at night.

When did decorating outside for Christmas start?

The first recorded uses of Christmas lights on outdoor trees occurred in San Diego in 1904, Appleton, Wisconsin, and New York City in 1912. McAdenville, North Carolina, claims to have been the first in 1956, with the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree having lights since 1931. Philadelphia’s Christmas Light Show and Disney’s Christmas Tree also began in 1956. In Canada, archival photos from 1956 capture instances of outdoor evergreens illuminated with Christmas lights.

Christmas lights found use in places other than Christmas trees, such as the Civic Center Park in Denver, Colorado, where city electrician John Malpiede began decorating the park’s Greek Amphitheater and the adjacent new Denver City and County Building – City Hall. Strings of lights adorned mantles and doorways inside homes, and ran along rafters, roof lines, and porch railings of homes and businesses. In recent times, many city skyscrapers are decorated with long mostly-vertical strings of a common theme and are activated simultaneously in Grand Illumination ceremonies.

In 1963, a Black Christmas boycott was done in Greenville, North Carolina, to protest the segregation that kept blacks from being employed by downtown businesses during the Christmas sales season. Only six houses in the black community broke the boycott that Christmas.

Why did we start decorating at Christmas?

Displaying lights during Christmas predates the holiday itself, starting in Scandinavian countries to brighten up Winter Solstice. Early Christians adopted this pagan tradition without fear of persecution, and later Christians put candles in their windows as a symbol of safety for other Christians traveling. Today, December 21st is the winter solstice in Fairbanks Alaska, with 3 hours and 42 minutes of day light. Before electric lights, many decorated indoor Christmas trees with candles, which resulted in house fires.

Edward H. Johnson, an executive at Thomas Edison’s company, strung up a tree with lights in his home in New York City in 1882. This tradition was emulated by President Grover Cleveland at the White House in the Christmas of 1895.