Decorating Christmas Tree With Ribbons

We've been decorating Christmas trees since we imported the idea in the 1800s. But the reason why we adorn our Christmas tree is an interesting one…

Although the idea of a Christmas tree is now a quintessentially English one, it actually comes from German origins, when Prince Albert brought the tradition over from his home country when he married Queen Victoria.

And before we ever put tinsel on our trees, it was normal to decorate them with food.

Traditional Christmas trees were decorated with fruit, nuts and sweets made from sugar and honey, while parents would also hang toys and presents from the tree.

And Christmas trees would even include lit candles (although we're not so sure about that one now).

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There was usually a symbolic reason for decorating the tree with these items, says Hannah Fleming, curator at the Geffrye Museum in East London - a museum dedicated to the history of the home.

'Candles symbolised the light in the depth of winter,' she says.

And glass baubles, which were also used, would reflect the light of the lit candles to create a spectacular sight in the room.

The tree formed the main part of the all-round Christmas celebrations, which was a real family event. Traditionally, the mother of the family would decorate the tree, the father would dress up as Father Christmas and the children and servants were brought in to see the tree in its full glory.

'The decorating of the tree was quite an event,' says Hannah.

Before then, Christmas was a more raucous celebration and a time of uncontrolled celebrations, Hannah adds, but during the 1860s it became associated with children.

This was, in part, due to an illustration of Queen Victoria and her family decorating their own Christmas tree.

'It was the Victorians who made the link between Christmas and children,' Hannah says. 'The Victorians sanitised it.'

Dr Martin Johnes, author of new book, Christmas and the British: A Modern History, says bringing a tree into the home creates a different atmosphere to the rest of the year.

'Tree decorations were initially important because they brought light and colour into what were often drab and dark houses,' he says. 'However, we now tend to decorate our trees because it reminds us of our childhoods.'

'So many of our Christmas traditions are followed without thinking about it. We do it because that's what you do at Christmas.'

'Can you imagine a tree without decorations? It just wouldn't feel right, even though it's no more silly than having a tree in the first place, Martin adds.

(Images via Getty)

MORE: COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS: CHRISTMAS TREES

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