Christmas trees go back to the symbolic use of evergreens in ancient Egypt and Rome. It was Germany who started the tradition of having lights on the tree. Although when they started this in the 1700s, they used to wire the branches with lit candles. It is believed that a 16th century Protestent reformer, Martin Luther, was the first to start this tradition. It is said that when he was walking home, amongst the evergreens, the stars twinkled amidst the trees, inspiring him to light his own christmas tree.

The first recorded Christmas tree that was on display in the U.S. was in 1830, and was started in Pennsylvania by German settlers. In the late 1840s, the Christmas tree was seen as a pagan symbol and not accepted by most Americans. Christmas trees didn’t become popular in the U.S. until around the 1890s. Once electricity became available, Christmas trees were able to glow for endless hours and became a new American tradition.