Things I didn't know about Christmas

The Germans "invented" the Christmas tree during the Renaissance. The cool trend got hot and by 1576 there were Christmas trees all around Europe - more or less. 

The British waited to the 1800s to jump in. And the United States came on even later: the first "official" Christmas trees appeared in 1901 - caveat: German immigrants had been using the trees long before in America.

The old Protestants didn't like the idea of celebrating with Christmas trees. They saw them as Catholic stuff and argued that the Bible didn't talk about such things - except if we see the cross as a tree, something mentioned in old translations because the Romans used trees for crucifixion. 

It's said that Martin Luther was the inventor of the Christmas lighting. Apparently, he added candles to an evergreen tree - what a fire hazard! 

The traditional "Merry Christmas" neither is ancient. Its first use was in 1699. But not like a loud and happy greeting for relatives and neighbors, it came wrapped in the privacy of an informal letter.

Some trivia behind our joyful celebration that I didn't know. 

Merry Christmas! 

Christmas is not a time nor a season, but a state of mind.

          President Calvin Coolidge

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