Advertisement
Advertisement

Christmas Trees Over The Years

Updated on Dec 15, 2022. Originally added on Dec 22, 2015 by Daniel Pinna

Do you remember the Christmas trees of your childhood? Was the tree trimmed with elegant ornaments, or did you have a "children's tree" full of whimsical decorations?

Today, nearly everyone who celebrates Christmas has some kind of tree, real or artificial - remember the silver plastic trees of the 1960's? Remember the tons of tinsel in the 1950's? What are your memories of and traditions around your Christmas tree? Do any of these photos bring back memories?

Continue Reading Below
Share and discover the people and places from your past

Christmas Tree Decorations from the Past

Loading...one moment please loading spinner

1908 - toys on the tree and presents all around!

[ Click image for details ]

Aren't those children precious?

The horse Christmas tree

[ Click image for details ]

In 1918, they provided trees for horses. The trees were hung with apples, ears of corn and other "horse dainties"!

1919 Horse Christmas tree

[ Click image for details ]
Advertisement

Jail Christmas tree, 1919

[ Click image for details ]

Flathead Native Americans, 1910

[ Click image for details ]

Family gathering before Christmas in front of their outdoor tree.

Hospital tree, 1921

[ Click image for details ]

Surrounded by nurses!

Advertisement

Santa carries his own trees

[ Click image for details ]

In 1913 Iowa, Santa's car is all decked out - and he has two trees!

1919, Baker family

[ Click image for details ]

Is that a ham radio that the boy is listening to?

Koo family, 1919

[ Click image for details ]

Those kids are SO cute!

Small tree . . .

[ Click image for details ]

Big train set!

The City of Paris tree

[ Click image for details ]

From 1850 to 1976 there was a store called The City of Paris in San Francisco. Their tree was centered in the rotunda in the middle of the store and rose several stories. It was absolutely spectacular!

Christmas tree & train

[ Click image for details ]

The 1920's

Advertisement

The Hauk family tree

[ Click image for details ]

Wow! It looks wider than it is tall!

1943 - a wartime tree!

[ Click image for details ]

The Dickey family, 1918

[ Click image for details ]

Another wide tree

[ Click image for details ]

This is the Dickey family in 1923 - perhaps wide trees were a fashion in the 1920's?

Tree hiding behind the family?

[ Click image for details ]

In contrast, this 1921 tree is so small that the family dwarfs it.

They moved everything outdoors?

[ Click image for details ]

The "boys and their toys" tree

[ Click image for details ]

What makes a good Christmas gift in 1897? An Edison phonograph of course!

[ Click image for details ]

Think they could fit any more tree?

[ Click image for details ]

Movie star Harold Lloyd’s Christmas tree.

[ Click image for details ]

The 1923 National Tree before…

[ Click image for details ]

Remember how popular these trees were in the 60's and 70's?

[ Click image for details ]
Photo of Josette Torres Josette Torres
2 favorites
shared on 10/20/2014

1976 - the compact tree.

[ Click image for details ]
Photo of Bahar Hart Bahar Hart
36 favorites
shared on 08/29/2014

The real old fashioned way of finding a tree.

[ Click image for details ]

1972 - the coffee table tree.

[ Click image for details ]
Photo of Katrina Rutter Katrina Rutter
8 favorites
shared on 11/06/2013

This is one heavily flocked tree!

[ Click image for details ]
Photo of Joseph Crowell Joseph Crowell
18 favorites
shared on 01/01/2015

For all the cat lovers.

[ Click image for details ]

1848 drawing of the tree in Windsor castle.

[ Click image for details ]

Queen Victoria's tree

Everyone remembers their childhood Christmas trees. My grandmother used to tell stories of her family's tree in England. After she and her siblings went to bed on Christmas Eve, her parents would decorate the tree. Then on Christmas morning, her parents would open the door of the parlor. There, in all of its glory, would be the decorated tree, awash in the light of the candles on the branches. (Sounds dangerous, doesn't it?)

Queen Victoria famously celebrated Christmas with a tree - a tradition in her German husband's homeland.

History: As far back as the Romans, Druids, and Vikings, evergreen branches have been used to decorate homes at this time of year. Celebrated under many names, the time around the Winter Solstice has always been considered sacred to people. The early Christians borrowed from these traditions to create their own Solstice celebration - the birth of the sun/son, Jesus. Most Biblical scholars agree that Jesus was actually born in the early Spring, perhaps March. The Bible doesn't mention a date or even a time of year and early Christians didn't celebrate Christmas.)

Have photos that you'd like to see included? Share your photos or click "next page" below to see photos of winter wonderlands . . . brrrrr!

Blog posts

Back to Top