The Christmas Tree

It had snowed heavily during the night, and I found thirty centimetres of pure, white snow glittering outside in the sun covering not only my car but also the branches of the trees around me. “So much for going back to town early,” I said to myself and went back inside to have breakfast.

But wonder of wonders, when checking Waze a couple of hours later, I saw that the section of the road leading to town had already been cleared. I saddled up and set off toward Montreal.

It turned out to be a rewarding decision.

The sun was shining, traffic was light, and I was happy. A spectacular phalanx of hundreds of thousands of “Christmas trees” (mainly pines) lined the road and this started me to muse about why the pine tree was considered to be THE Christmas tree. 

The modern Christmas tree tradition started in Germany in the sixteenth century. Pine trees were abundant, easy to cut, had strong branches to support decorations such as small candles, stayed green indoors and had a pleasant smell. Ideal stuff to cheer up people in the darkness of winter nights.

In 1848 Queen Victoria’s husband Albert (of German origin) was pictured standing next to a decorated pine tree at Christmas time. This encouraged the population to do so likewise. The practice then spread across the English-speaking world (US, Canada Australia etc…) thereby popularizing even more the idea of creating light to fight the midwinter darkness – and encourage gift-giving.

And, of course, marketers were quick to realize that “Christmas trees” were a wonderful aid to making of Christmas a huge commercial success.

“Real” Christmas trees are primarily grown on farms, not cut from natural forests. In the U.S. major producing states include Oregon, North Carolina, and Michigan, with about 15,000 farms nationwide. Canada is a major exporter, with Quebec being the largest producing province.

The “real” tree supply chain faces challenges due to the long growing cycle, typically 7 to 15 years, and reliance on consistent weather patterns. Most trees sold from North America are shipped domestically or to neighbouring countries.

The majority of artificial trees is manufactured in China and is typically made from petroleum-based plastics like PVC. This production process is energy-intensive and contributes to greenhouse gas emissions.

An artificial tree must be reused for at least 12 years to offset the carbon cost of manufacturing and shipping compared to a real tree. However, since they are not biodegradable, they end up in landfills at the end of their life. Consumer demand for artificial trees is driven by convenience, durability, and low maintenance.

The market is also seeing trends toward premium, large, pre-lit, and smart artificial trees with integrated LED lights and app controls. (Wikipedia)

The “Christmas Tree” became a symbol of life and endurance, hope and renewal, light in the darkness and joy and togetherness in ancient European traditions long before Christmas existed.