Free Christmas Tree Coloring Pages

Share a few facts about the history of the Christmas tree as you color a Christmas tree coloring page with your kids.

History
Christians in Germany in the town of Geismar are credited with beginning the Christmas tree tradition in the 16^th century. It is also believed that Martin Luther, Protestant church reformer in the 1600's, added lighted candles to the tree. His inspiration for this addition came as he was walking home one winter evening, and gazed into the night sky at the stars as they twinkled through the evergreens. It is suggested that he established the Christmas tree as a representation of the Tree of Life from the Garden of Eden.

The Christmas tree did not gain popularity in America for some time after that, as they found the Christmas tree to be somewhat of an frivoity. The first tree on record was displayed by a German immigrant living in Pennsylvania in the 1830s.

Christmas trees, until the late 1840s, were regarded as pagan symbols, and were actively discouraged by leaders in the New England community. Influential preacher Oliver Cromwell regarded observances of Christmas with carols and trees to be "heathen traditions" that dishonored the sacred event. The General Court of Massachusetts went so far as to enact a law in 1659 that made it a penal offense to hang decorations in observance of December 25^th.

By the 1890s the practice of displaying a Christmas tree was gaining popularity. Americans decorated their trees in the beginning with homemade ornaments, and with the advent of electricity, strung Christmas lights replaced candles. Christmas trees soon began to appear in town squares and in homes across America, firmly rooting this American tradition.

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