INVENTING THE CHRISTMAS TREE

A colorfully decorated tree, lit with strings of twinkling lights, is the central symbol of the Christmas season. Customs involving branches and trees are millennia old. However, the roots of this tradition lie in the Christian paradise play. In Central Europe the tradition of the Christmas tree was first popular among tradesmen beginning in the 16th century, and soon thereafter also among the nobility. It wasn’t until the 19th century that the tree found its way into the houses of families across several countries in Europe and North America. Today, Christmas is a global event and the tree is found everywhere – in both Christian and non-Christian contexts. To this day the seeds of the beloved Nordmann Fir are “harvested” in the Caucasus Mountains under highly dangerous conditions.

The book recounts the history of the Christmas tree, of Jacqueline Kennedy’s Nutcracker tree in the White House, of the Christmas trees used to celebrate the Turkish New Year, the largest tree in Vladivostok, and the most expensive, erected in Abu Dhabi.

Inventing the Christmas Tree (Die Erfindung des Weihnachtsbaums) has been published by Insel/Suhrkamp in September 2011 and contains around 15, often unknown, historical illustrations.

Yale University Press will publish an English language edition of this book in 2012.

"Bright tree - "I request any information about the Christmas tree, now matter its source" – thus read a plea for help from one inquisitive reader from the year 1889, printed in the monthly paper "Die Gartenlaube". At that time the decorated tree was already a set feature of the holy days. How, why, and when the tree found its way from the forest to the house is explained by Bernd Brunner in his entertaining book. From a Christmas tree holder that plays Christmas songs all the way to the top, all the facets of the tree are examined. It is unknown when the tree first appeared in this new context, but its pagan roots lay in ancient tree cults. Another traditional line is the paradise play of the church. From there it is possible that the tree made its way into the Christmas celebrations of the trade guilds. During the Biedermeier era, the nobility and bourgeoisie then invited the tree into their livings rooms and salons. The chapters touch upon topics as diverse as the cultu
ral history of how we live, the development of the doll industry, and the history of electrical light. Brunner's heart even beats for artificial trees. In the nineteenth century Germany he uncovers the predecessor to the artificial variety: a tree with feathers instead of branches. It's good to know that the real Christmas tree is still around for all those heavy angels."
FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG

"This finely illustrated, bibliophile volume all about the "discovery" of the Christmas tree is a wonderful gift idea. Recommended in every regard."
EVANGELICAL CHURCH IN GERMANY

"A compact and wonderful cultural history. ... A book brimming with information." DIE WELT