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O Tannenbaum

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Several cities in the United States with German connections lay claim to that country's first Christmas tree: Windsor Locks, Connecticut, claims that a Hessian soldier put up a Christmas tree in 1777 while imprisoned at the Noden-Reed House, while the "First Christmas Tree in America" is also claimed by Easton, Pennsylvania, where German settlers purportedly erected a Christmas tree in 1816. In his diary, Matthew Zahm of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, recorded the use of a Christmas tree in 1821, leading Lancaster to also lay claim to the first Christmas tree in America.

Merry Christmas!

Comments

  1. avrdsDecember 24, 2009 at 3:43 PM

    Oh, Tannenbaum to you, too, Gintaras!

    One of the best planetarium shows I ever saw (even though it had the hokiest graphics) was about the stars of Christmas in which they talked about the traditions of bringing in green and lighting candles to bring back the sun. Then they showed all the northern religious traditions lighting candles, putting lights on a tree, etc.

    I was surprised to read in David Brooks the other day that the miracle of the oil and the lighting of the candles for Hanukkah was added later, which sort of brings it also into these traditions.

    I'm late this year -- I try to do this by the 20th -- but I have some evergreen boughs in my car that I'll fashion into a tree with lights before my daughter gets here for dinner.

    Ho, ho, ho everyone.

    And here's to a more peaceful world in the year ahead.

    ReplyDelete
  2. TripplerDecember 24, 2009 at 7:16 PM

    A wonderful Christmas & New Year to everyone!

    :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. RickDecember 25, 2009 at 4:07 PM

    Merry Christmas one and all!

    ReplyDelete

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