This year marks the 500th anniversary of the first documented Christmas tree, according to the National Christmas Tree Association.
That tree, the association says, was found in the city of Riga, Latvia, in 1510.
"Not a lot is known about the first Christmas Tree in Riga, other than it was placed in the public marketplace and decorated by the men of the Order of the Blackheads, a long-time merchant's guild," according to the association's website. "The men wore black hats and after the ceremony, they burned the tree. Legend has it that the first Riga tree was decorated with paper flowers. Today, a plaque marks the spot where the original tree stood."
To commemorate the anniversary, at the association's annual convention in August — which was held in Winston-Salem — member groups decorated trees to represent Christmas trees over the centuries.
Here are those trees, and some of the decorations that developed.
1500s
The Riga tree was a fir, adorned with paper roses that symbolized the Virgin Mary. By 1530, in Alsace, France, trees were being sold in marketplaces and brought home. They were limited by law to no more than a little over 4 feet tall.
1600s
Apples were used for decorations, thanks to their religious symbolism from the Bible and their association with the Garden of Eden, and some early Christmas Trees in Germany were known as "Paradeisbaum" (Paradise Trees). Tinsel, made from shredded silver, was first used in Germany about 1610.
1700s
Common tree decorations in this period, according to the National Christmas Tree Association, were edible: apples, gilded nuts, candies inside brightly decorated eggshells and cookies, leading to the description of these as "Sugar Trees." One tradition had it that on the 12th Night of Christmas, Jan. 6, children could shake the tree and eat any sweets that fell from it. Red paper strips were also used in decorations, as well as the first known accounts of lighted candles used in trees, a trend that continued until the early 20th century.
1800s
German settlers introduced Christmas trees to the United States, first on tabletops and then as full-sized trees as we know them today. Blown-glass ornaments became common during the 1870s in Germany, and chains of balls, toys and figures became popular decorations. Artificial Christmas trees came about in the late 1800s, with metal wire trees covered in goose, turkey, ostrich or swan feathers dyed green to look like pine needles.
1900s
The first electric lights were used on a Christmas tree in 1882 at the home of Edward Johnson, an assistant of inventor Thomas Edison, but they took a while to gain popularity. Artificial brush trees, made by the Addis Brush Co. using the same material as their toilet brushes, came along in the 1930s.
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