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| Vintage photo of American children decorate their Christmas Tree at home next to the fireplace while family dog sits content. |
All About Our Christmas Tree
"Christmas is often said to be for children. It were more truly said to be for the family. For this great holiday celebrating the birth of the Infant Jesus is also, in a sense, a feast of the Holy Family, bringing to mind, as it does, the blessings, trials, the joys, sorrows, and anxieties of Mary and Joseph. What mother does not kneel before the manger of Bethlehem pondering in her heart the miracle of birth? What father does not stand in kinship with Joseph as he recalls the fears and anxieties of providing for mother and Child? That little Family of the first Christmas is every man's family.
No wonder, then, that the traditions of Christmas in every land center upon the family and its symbols of security - the hearth and home. The special magic of Christmas is for everyone, and through its traditions and customs the bonds of family love are renewed and strengthened.
America itself is a family, a family of many nations and peoples whose different customs, languages, and cultures are still merging into a national character. And so, though the celebration of Christmas in our land varies widely from the snow-bound north to the sun-drenched south, Christmas itself remains a festival of the home, with the origin of its many varying customs in the family of nations. As each generation carries on with its particular family traditions, there takes place a further blending of the ethnic past, of quaint folklore and meaningful custom, with the ever evolving present. But the idea of the Christ Child remains the common denominator, so that for Americans there comes a new understanding of how our nation, from many, has become "one nation under God." Hildebrand
The traditional use of evergreen trees during the Christmas season brings close to most Americans the fragrance and freshness of the forest. Christmas trees probably do more to bring joy to families at the holiday season, and to dramatize the message of "Peace on Earth, good will toward men," than any other product of the soil in the United States. Indoors and outdoors, Christmas trees have become almost essential for decorative purposes at this holiday season-in homes, churches, and business houses, in parks and on the streets. The dense spreading branches serve most fittingly, too, as a delightful hiding-place for Santa Claus' presents to both children and adults.
The custom of having a decorated evergreen tree in the home at Christmas seems to have originated in western Germany several hundred years ago. The first use of such trees in the United States may have been during the American Revolution by Hessian mercenary soldiers. An early account tells of a Christmas tree set up by American soldiers at Fort Dearborn, Ill., the site of Chicago, in 1804 as well. (demolished in 1856, see old photos)
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