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| Photo taken in January 2012 in Strasbourg, France |
In the Alsatian town of Selestat there is a library with hundreds of ancient records, some even dating back to the 7th century. In a record dating from 1521, there is mention of men being paid to guard a section of forest near the town. The owners of the woods were concerned that people would cut too many of their trees to use for holiday decorations. This payment to the guards is the first written documentation of people using trees to beautify their homes for Christmas. At the time, Alsace, which is part of France now, was a part of Germany.
The photo shown above is from a display in the Alsatian Museum in Strasbourg. Early Christmas trees were decorated with edible ornaments such as fruit, nuts, candy, and baked goods. The trees were hung from the ceiling to help deter rodents from nibbling the tasty treats.
Hung from the ceiling!?! I guess they were generally smaller trees? Thank you for sharing these bits of history you have learned along the way in your journeys! Merry Christmas!
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