The sparkle of Christmas lights, the scent of pine, and the excitement of placing ornaments on a tree—these are moments many families look forward to each December. Decorating a Christmas tree feels wonderfully festive, but the practice itself comes from a long journey through culture, religion, and even technology.

Long before Christmas trees became household essentials, people in sixteenth-century Germany began bringing greenery indoors during winter. These early displays were connected to Christian customs, particularly the feast day of Adam and Eve on December 24.

During this period, religious plays were performed to tell Bible stories to largely illiterate communities. For these performances, a “paradise tree”—often a fir tree decorated with apples—represented the Garden of Eden. Ov

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