Twenty Five Days of Christmas (3)

It appears that the Christmas tree was first used at Christmas time in the mid 1400s. By the middle of the 16th century, there were several German churches that displayed Christmas trees, and by the 17th century, they were gaining widespread appeal. By the 19th century, the custom had spread across Europe, even going as far as Russia.

Why is the Christmas tree displayed at Christmas? Well, as with the Christmas lights, there are multiple reasons, none of them conclusive. The first, is that as an evergreen, the tree shows the continuation of life, or as a twist on that one: the tree shows the undying nature of God's love. Another suggestion is that the three corners of the tree represent the three persons of the Trinity. The final suggestion is that it was simply done because of the beauty and freshness of the tree, to cheer a house in the dead of winter.