Ahh! The Christmas Tree

The use of evergreen trees to celebrate the winter season occurred before the birth of Christ.

The first decorated Christmas tree was in Riga, Latvia in 1510.

The first printed reference to Christmas trees appeared in Germany in 1531.

Approximately 100,000 people are employed full or part-time in the Christmas tree industry.

In the United States, there are more than 15,000 Christmas tree farms. There are approximately 350 million Christmas trees growing on U.S. farms.

The most popular Christmas trees are: Scotch pine, Douglas fir, noble fir, Fraser fir, balsam fir, Virginia pine and white pine.

In 2012, 35% of real Christmas trees sold were from chain stores or garden centers/nursery, 24% from cut and harvest farms, 15% from retail tree lots, and 15% from non-profit groups.

The first Christmas tree retail lot in the United States was started by Mark Carr in New York, in 1851.

Live Christmas trees have been sold commercially in the United States since about 1850.

Using small candles to light a Christmas tree dates back to the middle of the 17th century.

10.9 million artificial trees were purchased in the United States in 2012.

Thomas Edison’s assistant, Edward Johnson, came up with the idea of electric lights for Christmas trees in 1882. Christmas tree lights were first mass-produced in 1890.

Today, most artificial Christmas trees are made from PVC plastic. PVC trees are fire-retardant but not fire-resistant. Eighty percent of artificial trees worldwide are manufactured in China.

Artificial Christmas trees were developed in Germany during the 19th century and later became popular in the United States. These “trees” were made using goose feathers that were dyed green and attached to wire branches. The wire branches were then wrapped around a central dowel rod that acted as the trunk.

The tradition of an official Chicago Christmas tree was initiated in 1913 when one was first lit by Mayor Carter H. Harrison in Grant Park.

Since 1971, the Province of Nova Scotia has presented the Boston Christmas tree to the people of Boston, in gratitude for the relief supplies received from the citizens of Boston after a ship exploded in 1917 following a collision in the Halifax, Nova Scotia Harbor. Part of the city was leveled, killing and injuring thousands.

Source: https://www.uselessdaily.com/news/40-fun-facts-about-the-christmas-tree-list/#ixzz51byZmhgh