What is a Christmas Tree?

Literally synonymous with Christmas, the Christmas tree is known for its dazzling allure and décor, but what is it exactly? It used to be known as the "Yule-tree", and its origins came from European folklore which were imbibed into Christianity as it spread across the continent. The first documented use of a tree at Christmas was in Riga, Latvia, where they proudly speak of a tradition of putting up a decorated fir tree in the market square around which young men and women danced before putting the tree to flames. In Germany, early Christmas trees were decorated with candles and gingerbread and gold covered apples. Later, the tops of the trees were decorated with the baby Jesus or a star⭐ like the Wise Men saw. The 20th century saw the increase in popularity of artificial trees made from feathers, papier mâché, metal and many different kinds of plastic.