At this time of year, when Christmas trees appear everywhere, it’s hard to realize that setting up and decorating an evergreen tree wasn’t always part of Americans’ Christmas celebrations. During the second half of the nineteenth century, the custom spread slowly in the United States. In 1900, only about one family in five had a Christmas tree, and in 1915, there were still areas of the South and West where trees were uncommon. But by 1930, this custom had become nearly universal, and was quickly growing into the commercial enterprise it is today.
The decorated Christmas tree evolved primarily from German and English traditions. Early trees, often placed on table-tops, were decorated with home-made ornaments, made with natural materials: dried seed pods, popcorn and cranberries. Another early custom was to place the gifts and toys on the tree itself, rather than under it. These traditional forms were later copied and adapted in mass-produced ornaments: animals, pine cones, apples, eggs, and flowers.
Store-bought ornaments were introduced around 1870. Early store-bought ornaments were made of paper, papier-mache, tinsel, Christmas snow (asbestos, mica, spun glass), cotton batting, foil, celluloid, and colorfully printed and embossed paper “scrap.” Glass ornaments, made in Germany by cottage industries, were commercially imported starting around 1870, and brought about a major change in the way the American tree was decorated. Such ornaments became the standard Christmas decorations of the 20th century.”
Mass-produced, store-bought ornaments were an unquestionable economic success. In 1880, F.W. Woolworth imported $25 worth of ornaments. By 1890, he was importing $200,000 worth. Not only did making and importing Christmas ornaments quickly become big business, the selling of the trees themselves was a growing enterprise. Both businesses continue to flourish today as Americans once more get ready for the holidays.
To see examples of Christmas decorations, visit The Connecticut Historical Society on December 3rd, when the historic Curtis Veeder house, the home of CHS, is part of the Mark Twain Holiday House Tour. Special holiday ornaments, many of them made in Connecticut, are on sale in the CHS store. For more information go to www.chs.org.
