How did the tradition of Christmas trees and lights get started?
Most people agree that it starts in the German-speaking areas of Europe. Though the tradition came to the United States with German immigrants in the 18th century, it didn’t catch on until a royal inspiration in the 1850s. “When Queen Victoria and her German husband, Prince Albert, decorated a Christmas tree in Windsor Palace in 1848, it was widely reported in popular American publications,” says Jim Leary, professor and director of the Folklore Program at UW-Madison. “Well-to-do, fashion-minded Americans soon followed suit, with rural and working-class folks not that far behind. By 1856, President Franklin Pierce gave the Christmas tree official sanction when he had one decorated in the White House.” In addition to giving light and heat during long winter nights, candles often serve a more spiritual role. Pagans use them to ward off mischievous spirits and celebrate the return of lights at the winter solstice. In the Jewish faith, Hanukkah candles serve as a reminder of an ancient vic
