Why do we decorate using plants and trees at Christmas time?
People have decorated their homes with green plants at Christmas time for hundreds of years. Trees are very popular, but wreaths, holly and mistletoe are all used too. However, bringing in trees and bits of plants seems like a very strange thing to do – so why do we?
On this page, we’ll uncover some of the history behind Christmas decorating, and discover why we put trees in our homes and decorate them with lights and ornaments at Christmas time.
Evergreens
Throughout history, Christmas decorations have always included evergreen plants. Almost all surviving late medieval church records show holly and ivy being bought in the winter. For Christians, evergreen plants symbolised the promise of new life returning in the spring. We also know that people’s homes would have been decorated in green plants at this time of year. An account from 1444 explains that in London:
every man’s house and also his parish church was decked with holme (holly), ivie (ivy), bayes (bay) and whatever the season of the year afforded to be green
In short, anything growing outside that was still green at Christmas time was a possible decoration!
The Christmas carol, ‘Deck the Halls with Boughs of Holly’, was created in Wales in the 16th century, which shows that holly was still being used at Christmas time in the Tudor period. Other carols from this time talk about decorations of ivy and holly too.
Roman wreaths and welcome rings
In ancient Rome, wreaths were used as rewards for military success. Wreaths made from laurel or olive branches were also used to crown winners in the Olympic Games. The Romans celebrated the New Year with a festival called Kalends. People gave each other wreaths, garlands and other small gifts.
Skipping a few (thousand) years to the 19th century, people made wreaths to hang on the front door of their homes. These were also known as ‘welcome rings’ and were usually made up of holly, ivy, pine cones and ribbons. The Victorians also placed holly and fir garlands on the mantelpiece over the fireplace inside their homes. The wreaths people still hang on their front doors today would look very familiar to a Victorian!
Kissing boughs
Kissing boughs are an old decoration made from two or four hoops that were crossed over to create a ball shape. They were decorated with whatever green plants were available to people and could measure up to 1.5m across! They were often hung on walls or over doorways to welcome people into the home. We don’t know for sure when kissing boughs were introduced in England, but they are thought to have been popular in the Tudor period.
The Georgians made kissing boughs too, but these were more elaborate, including greenery, apples, oranges, ‘bits of coloured ribbons and paper roses’ and ‘various brightly coloured ornaments’. There was a tradition that a gentleman could take a berry from the bough and kiss a lady on the cheek. When there were no more berries left, no more kisses could be given. This might be why people kiss under the mistletoe today.
More about mistletoe
A Roman author called Pliny the Elder described how Druids in Gaul (in France today) ceremonially harvested mistletoe from oak trees, where they found it growing. Victorian historians thought this must have meant this was also done in Britain and at Christmas time, although Pliny doesn’t talk about Britain or the time of year in his original writing.
A poet called Robert Herrick (1591–1674) is the first person known to talk about mistletoe and Christmas – he includes it in his poem ‘Ceremonie upon Candlemas Eve’. Candlemas was the day that Christmas greenery was taken down.
We don’t know whether the link between mistletoe and Christmas was older, or a 17th century invention. What we do know, is that in England the tradition of kissing under the mistletoe is first recorded in an opera called ‘Two to One, which was written in 1784.
Today, lots of people hang mistletoe up as part of their Christmas decorations, and kissing underneath a sprig of mistletoe is a part of many Christmas films.
Christmas trees
So, what about the trees, then? Queen Victoria’s husband Prince Albert is often thought to have introduced Christmas trees to England in 1840, but it was Queen Charlotte, the German wife of George III, who set up the first known tree at Queen’s Lodge, Windsor, in December 1800. Trees were a favourite with upper class families, especially for children’s parties. An evergreen tree might be dug up, and then decorated with candles and small trinkets, and of course surrounded by presents!
Queen Victoria and Prince Albert did make trees a popular Christmas tradition, though. In December 1840, Prince Albert imported some spruce fir trees from his homeland of Coburg, Germany. A few years later, magazines started to show and describe the royal Christmas trees each year, and the tradition soon spread to homes across England. By 1860, Christmas trees were very popular. They were decorated with candles, sweets, fruits, homemade decorations and small gifts.
Today's trees
Real Christmas trees were the usual option in the early 20th century. However, the first bristle-style artificial tree was introduced in 1930, and since then they have become a popular option for many families looking for a mess-free option. Most trees are now lit by electric fairy lights, which are much safer than candles, and decorated with baubles and other ornaments. The presents are now placed underneath the tree rather than within its branches.
During the Second World War, Norway was invaded and occupied by enemy troops, so the Norwegian king and government fled to safety in London. Since 1947, Norway has gifted a large Christmas tree to Great Britain every year, as a symbol of thanks to the people of London. It is displayed in Trafalgar Square, London, and many people go to see it. These trees gifted each year show just how important Christmas trees still are today.
Become a member
Not a member yet? With a membership, you can enjoy access to more than 400 historic places for a full year, plus discounted entry to hundreds of family events and our exclusive members' magazine.
Family membership starts at just £6 a month.
Join today