A decorated tree in the home was familiar to the Romans, who enjoyed the festival of Saturnalia. Sometimes they used to put twelve candles on the tree (one for each month of the calendar), and on the top they placed an image of Apollo, the god of the sun. They also decorated their houses with branches of bay and laurel, on which they hung trinkets and tiny masks of the god Bacchus.

In Northern Europe the Teutonic tribes used to decorate trees in honour of their chief god Odin. They used such things as apples and cakes made in the shape of fish, birds or animals. These decorations were a symbol of Odin�s favour towards his people.

The Druids also used to bring evergreens indoors during their winter festival, as these trees appeared �not to die� During the winter months, unlike the others whose spirit, the Druids believed, had departed. The evergreen branches symbolised the return of life and growth in plants and trees. As Christianity spread, the winter rites continued but were changed in honour of Christ as the �bringer of new life into the world.�

In Northern Europe, where there were so many forests, it was natural for the branches of the fir trees to be used as the emblem of renewal. In Latvia and Estonia in the 16^th century, evergreen trees were decorated with roses every Christmas Eve.

It was the German reformer, Martin Luther, who is said to have introduced the Christmas tree as we know it, with its mass of beautiful shining lights, inspired by the observation of stars shining through the fir trees.

Gradually the practise of decorating a tree with ornaments and lighted candles spread across Northern Europe and into Scandinavia. Austria is said to have had its first tree in 1816 when Princess Henrietta set one up in Vienna. In 1840 Princess Helena of Meckleburg brought the idea to Paris. In England it has always been a custom to decorate an evergreen garland called a �kissing bush�, but in 1841 Prince Albert, Consort to Queen Victoria, introduced a tree decorated with candles, tinsel, and ornaments as part of the Christmas celebrations at Windsor Castle. After that, the Christmas tree soon became an English tradition.