One of the first representations of a kind of Christmas tree is by Pacino di Bonaguida (1280-1340) where Christ is depicted crucified on a stylized tree.
There are many symbols but to say that it is really a Christmas tree is a bit of a stretch. While certainly in Tallinn, Estonia, in the mid-1400s, a Christmas tree was erected in the town hall square. His purpose was to dance around them in search of a soul mate. It was only at the end of the 1800s that the Christmas tree began to enter our European homes.
Among the first houses, those of the Germanic populations. Then you know, fashions often travel towards the equator and therefore the new tradition crosses the Alps and spreads to the Italian peninsula, conquering the whole of Italy.
Important inventions and discoveries of the Bel Époque
The first light bulb - Thomas Edison, 1879
The first radio - Guglielmo Marconi, 1899
The first telephone - Antonio Meucci, 1854
The first treadmill, 1890
The first skyscraper (Chicago), 1880
Frejus Tunnel, 1857-1871
The first railway (Stockton & Darlington Railway), 1825
The First Flight - The Wright Brothers, 1903
The first cars
The assembly line (Ford, Model T), Frederick Taylor.
The first typewriter.
Cinema (pre-cinema) as Thomas Edison's kinetoscope and the cinema of the Lumière brothers
The Rabies Vaccine - Louis Pasteur, 1885
Louis Pasteur's pasteurization
The birth of free time
A consumer society
Real or Artificial Tree?
Needless to say, there are those who choose the real tree, those who choose the tip of a real tree, those who choose an artificial tree.
In the first two cases, a certain aggressiveness shown for nature is undeniable. A real tree with roots has little chance of survival at home, from forests to heated, dry and dark houses the climatic leap is considerable. Cutting the tip of a tree is a bit aggressive towards the plant but it is tolerated. Perhaps the best choice might be for an artificial tree. In this case, man has managed to imitate nature very well with production technologies of alto level. An artificial Christmas tree can be built with different materials, even mixed with each other. Polyethylene, Polyester and Metal in general but also pine cones, glue and silicone for dew and much more.
Rules for choosing a Christmas tree
If it is a real tree or a simple real tree tip, it is necessary to choose a classic pyramidal shape or in any case a particular shape that fits into our environment. Often the tips are a bit "stripped" because the vegetation of the tips is young and weak, in short, not very lignified.
If it is a real tree, you must be aware that it must be watered and moistened often so that it can survive not only until December 25 but also beyond. Paradoxically, the choice of an artificial tree, many call it ecological, is more complicated. In fact, there are tens of thousands of types.
The artificial tree industry, for decades, has been copying nature and trying to perfect the construction methods so that the most beautiful and expensive trees can be easily confused with the real ones, healthy and in nature. Each manufacturer of artificial trees dedicates meticulous care to each project, starting from the shape and intrinsic design of the tree, copying both from colleagues and from nature, domesticating the shapes according to the aesthetic needs of common taste, fashion.
Oh yes, certain trees also become fashionable. Now, for example, fashion wants some branches to protrude from the tree as if in the competition between branches someone seeks supremacy among the others and wins by getting out of the natural pyramid scheme.
Another fashion of the moment is to place the artificial tree on artificial trunks so as to create more space between the base and the lower part of the tree. In general, however, Christmas trees are divided, regardless of the materials, into green and snowy. This is the first division to be made.
The second division to be made concerns the shape of the tree. Natural, pot-bellied, slim, penicel (very thin).
The shape of the Artificial Christmas tree is to be chosen according to the space you have available and how you want to decorate it.
As for the heights, in general these are standard: 120, 150, 180, 210, 240, 270, 310, 350, 400 and even more. You need to choose a tree that is appropriate for the height of the ceiling. Usually our Italian ceilings, for new houses, is 260 cm.
The houses built in the middle of the last century generally have a ceiling alto 300 cm but those built at the beginning of the last century reach 320 cm. Luxury homes from the 1800s in the city can exceed 400 centimeters. So, before buying an important Christmas tree, be aware of how much space you have available, surface area and height.
The three/fifths rule is pretty good for width. If you have 4 square meters available in the living room for the Christmas tree, a space of 200x200 cm, you can buy a tree with a maximum diameter of 120 cm. For height the proportion is different, it is four/fifths. If in the same house you have a ceiling of 260 cm, buy a tree alto maximum of 210 cm (the proportion would be 208 cm). A tree for this house would be a slim 210 cm or a Penicel.
At this point choose whether you want the tree to be green or snowy. If you buy it green, maybe next year you can snow it with artificial snow spray, but then you will be forced to throw it away unless you have the holy patience and time to wash it very well and dry it perfectly to put it in the box. Artificial snow spray is water-based and formed by glycerine, after a while it turns yellow and comes off. It lasts only a few months. "Factory" artificial snow, on the other hand, is phenolic resin, it is difficult to detach and does not yellow over time. Our advice is to make a choice, green or snowy.
About the quality of the tree depends on the budget, how much you can/want to spend. In general, those who spend more spend less but the accounts in the pocket are not done to anyone. Generally, large commercial chains focus on price and therefore do not choose to sell trees with a lot of value. In addition, the large chains, in order to standardize purchases and sales, do not offer many types of trees.
To have the opportunity to choose between many types you need to go to a specialist. A company that spends months of its time choosing for every type of customer. At the specialists you will find a lot of offer for both the tree and the tree decoration. Often professionally decorated trees can be found at specialists. A way to provide ideas but often already professionally decorated trees are sold. Of course they cost, but the difference is noticeable, and you can see it! From the specialists you will find fantastic trees, certainly not cheap, but good in construction, made with excellent materials, more similar to reality and with more options: pine cones, dew, better made tips, better dressed, with more branches.
If, for example, the seller told you: Slim tree in poly cm.150 900 tips he would not tell you anything except that the tree is alto cm.180. The tips are the tips. In practice, he has told you almost nothing. The tree must be seen, touched and imagined at home. It should also be compared to others and chosen calmly. Only in this way does the purchase become conscious, not a consumer but a consumer-actor, an actor of one's own consumption.
How to decorate a Christmas tree
There are general rules. First of all, the choice of font. Rustic, Modern, Minimal, Country, Cosy, Shabby, Geometric, etc. etc. Based on the font chosen, we choose the decorations. Then we choose the color, that is, the set of colors. Colors must get along with the character. The main colors must be a maximum of three and the color accents a maximum of 4 but they must be not very present, precisely accents.
An example: I decide to decorate a green tree with a rustic character. I choose balls in natural material, red fabric ribbon bows and red checkered ribbon, I choose some champagne-colored satin balls, complete with dried berries and cinnamon.
A few biscuits and a few other natural elements. Do you see it?
Christmas baubles (glass or plastic, more beautiful in glass) must be purchased in different sizes, 10 cm, 8 cm and cm. 6. Diversity is needed to give depth. The balls must be inserted and fixed inside the tips, they must never protrude from the tree. Remember! In medio stat virtus. A few of 10 cm, more of 8 cm and less of 6 cm. Those of 4 cm. they should be tied in a tuft together with some 6 cm ones. There are convenient mixed boxes on the market.
The decorations and bows should be bought together so you can pull them over to the store to see if they look good. To make bows it is best to use two types of ribbon together. For a bow you need at least 90 cm of ribbon.
The opening of the artificial Christmas tree is very important. You start from the basso and the branches open like a flower, exactly like when you spread the fingers of a hand. The branches must be open in every direction.
To decorate, you need to start with the lights that can be fixed by wrapping around the tree or from below to above and vice versa. The lights should also be placed inside the tree. Green thread for green trees and white thread for snowy trees. Warm lights have a rustic and elegant character, cool lights have a modern character, RGB lights (of all colors) have a playful character. Battery-powered lights if you don't have power outlets available (better with a shutdown timer after 8 hours) or better lights with a power outlet.
The lights should be purchased strictly LED because they consume less and above all do not heat up. Possibly buy lights with many preset games so you have more choice. With or without remote control.
How many lights per Christmas tree
For a 150 cm tree you need 400 lights. For a 180/210 cm tree at least 700 lights. For a 240 cm tree you need at least 1000 lights. For a 300 cm tree you need at least 1500 lights. The numbers seem high but all those lights are needed and the cost is now much more than affordable. Especially since LED lights last a very long time.
Important thing
To decorate a Christmas tree well and in an amateur way it takes patience but the satisfaction is not in how it comes but in doing it. A family that decorates a Christmas tree together will not have a great aesthetic result, everyone will hang something according to their taste and where they want but the satisfaction will be great. If you want to decorate a Christmas tree professionally, do it by copying the professional decorations (photo on the web) and do it yourself. It will take half a day.
