Wednesday, December 2, 2020

Christmas Trees

 Germany is credited with displaying the first Christmas trees. By the 1500's people began using fir trees for their celebrations. German Lutheran immigrants brought the custom to the United States around 1710. The first US Christmas tree lot opened in 1851 by a New York woodsman named Mark Carr.

Christmas trees are grown in all 50 states, including Hawaii and Alaska. IN New York City, Rockefeller Center displays a giant Christmas tree each year. The first tree was placed in 1931 by construction workers. The tallest tree displayed was in 1948, a Norway Spruce which reached 100 feet. The modern tree displays 25,000 lights. 

In 1923 President Calvin Coolidge began the National Tree Lighting on the White House Lawn.

Most trees are cut weeks before they are sold.

Christmas trees take between six to eight years to mature.

98 percent of all Christmas trees are grown on farms.

In the first week, the Christmas tree will consume a quart of water a day.

California, Oregon, Michigan, Washington, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and North Carolina are the top Christmas tree producing states.

The best selling trees are Scotch Pine, Douglas Fir, Frasier Fir, Balsam Fir and White Pine. 

What kind of tree graces your home? Is it real or artificial? 

Reference: History 

American Holidays - Bill Perry

2 comments:

straythreads said...

Interesting facts about Christmas trees
Artificial in our house much to my chagrin the last real tree we had caused so much sneezing and itchy eyes we went to the fake

Cheryl's Teapots2Quilting said...

I've never had a real tree. I did help a friend decorate hers, and I didn't like decorating it (scratched my arms, and all the branches dropped at least half a foot with each ornament). I like my artificial tree.