Guest post by Gail Lopez, Landscape Designer Decorated evergreen trees are such a part of Christmas, it’s hard to think about the holiday without them. Their lush green branches and woodland aromas grace homes, shops, and offices as well as the garden shops, tree farms, and pop-up lots that sell around 35 million of the evergreens each season. When we place a fresh-cut or living evergreen in our home, we’re celebrating a winter practice that dates back to the ancient Egyptians. They’re the ones who first brought greens inside during the winter solstice to symbolize the triumph of life over death. Other cultures in the Northern hemisphere also brought evergreens inside to cheer the soul during the darkening days of the solstice. Among them, the early Romans, the Celts, and the Vikings. Pagans in Europe thought greenery encouraged fertility. The 16th-century Germans started the Christmas tree tradition. The Protestant reformer Martin Luther is credited with adding lighted candles, inspired by the stars. It’s no surprise, then, that the German settlers of Pennsylvania were the first to display Christmas trees in the United States. Dogs and cats were relegated to the barn back then, so there was little chance of the … Continue reading History of the Christmas Tree