The Christmas Tree; the beginning of our Christmas season decorating. All of our trees were cut in the woods ten days before Christmas Eve. Constant watering was necessary to keep it alive and safe.
Germany is credited with starting the Christmas tree tradition.
When my husband was working in Portugal and later Germany,
I asked him to be sure and bring home a Cuckoo clock, which he did. He went into downtown Hamburg shopping, bought a hat because the weather was constantly changing and went into a clock shop and purchased the clocks. He remembers talking to a man on the streets in Germany who asked him where he was from. Allen told him Scotland, which perplexed the man because of Allen's southern accent. Long story short, he explained Scotland, MS. USA.(we live in the Scotland community)
The first president to set up a Christmas tree in the White House was Franklin Pierce in 1859. In 1895, Grover and Frances Cleveland were the first to use electric Christmas lights on a presidential Christmas tree. (previously candles were used)
I watched on television as the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree was set up in New York City, and learned it will be on view through mid-January . On Christmas Day, this massive Norway Spruce tree will be lit for 24 hours. Once the holiday season is over, the tree will be used for lumber for Habitat for Humanity.
The sight of our Christmas tree, lit up on Christmas morning, was a sight never to be forgotten. My sister and I had placed decorations on every limb, with a hand-full of icicles. A Christmas tree is much like a shawl..it warms your heart and fills it with a melody that last forever.
Cookies are a big part of Christmas. The house takes on the excitement of the season as soon as the first batch of cookies is baked and the delicious aroma permeates the house.
~Lela Bernard~
