festival of trees

One of my absolute favorite traditions in Salt Lake City around Christmas Time is the Festival of Trees. I partook of the goodness yesterday morning and I was loving every minute. Seriously, lights, toys, home made fudge, gingerbread houses... Is there anything better than that? While walking around, I found myself curious about how they came about. There's a ton of different stories about Christmas Trees, but here is a short excerpt I found about how they came to be.

The Christmas Tree originated in Germany in the 16th century. It was common for the Germanic people to decorate fir trees, both inside and out, with roses, apples, and colored paper. It is believed that Martin Luther, the Protestant reformer, was the first to light a Christmas tree with candles. While coming home one dark winter's night near Christmas, he was struck with the beauty of the starlight shining through the branches of a small fir tree outside his home. He duplicated the starlight by using candles attached to the branches of his indoor Christmas tree. The Christmas tree was not widely used in Britain until the 19th century. It was brought to America by the Pennsylvania Germans in the 1820's.

Anyway, just something to think about as you enjoy your tree this year! Tis the Season!