Christmas tree

One of the most popular traditions associated with the celebration of Christmas, the Christmas tree is normally an evergreen conifer tree that is brought in the house or used in the open, and is decorated with Christmas lights and colourful ornaments during the days around Christmas.

Decoration and ornaments

Tinsel and several types of garland or ribbon are commonly used to decorate a Christmas tree. Delicate mould-blown and painted colored glass Christmas ornaments were a specialty of Czech glass factories from the late 19th century, and have since become a large industry, complete with famous-name designers. Lighting with candles or electric lights (fairy lights) is commonly done, and a tree topper completes the ensemble. Strands of tinsel may be hung in groups from longer branches to simulate icicles, though this trend has gradually fallen off since the late 1970s. Baubles are another extremely common decoration, and usually consist of a fairly small hollow glass or plastic sphere coated with a thin metallic layer to make them reflective, and then with a further coating of a thin pigmented polymer in order to provide colouration.

Related Topics:
Garland - Ribbon - Christmas ornament - Czech - 19th century - Candle - Fairy lights - Tree topper - Tinsel - Icicle - Trend - 1970s

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Individuals' decorations vary wildly, typically being an eclectic mix of family traditions and personal tastes; even a small unattractive ornament, if passed down from a parent or grandparent, may come to carry considerable emotional value and be given pride of place on the tree. Conversely, trees decorated by professional designers for department stores and other institutions will usually have a "theme"; a set of predominant colors, multiple instances of each type of ornament, and larger decorations that may be more complicated to set up correctly.

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Many people also decorate outdoor trees with food that birds and other wildlife will enjoy, such as garlands made from unsalted popcorn or cranberries, orange halves, and seed-covered suet cakes.

Related Topics:
Bird - Wildlife - Popcorn - Cranberries - Orange - Suet

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Tree mats and skirts

Since candles were used to light trees until electric bulbs came about, a mat (UK) or "skirt" (US) was often placed on the floor below the tree to protect it by catching the dripping candle wax, and also to collect any needles that fall. Even when dripless candles, electric lights and artificial trees have been used, a mat is still usually used as a decorative feature. What began as ordinary cloth has now often become much more ornate, some having embroidery or being put together like a quilt.

Related Topics:
Candle - Mat - Skirt - Wax - Cloth - Embroidery - Quilt

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A nativity scene, model train, or Christmas village may be placed on the mat or skirt, along with gifts (depending on tradition, all Christmas gifts, or those too large to be hung on the tree, as in "presents on the tree" of the song "White Christmas").

Related Topics:
Nativity scene - Model train - Christmas village - Gift - White Christmas

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Generally, the difference between a mat and skirt is simply that a mat is placed under the tree stand, while a skirt is placed over it, having a hole in the middle for the trunk, with a slot cut to the outside edge so that it can be placed around the tree (beneath the branches) easily. A plain mat of fabric or plastic may also be placed under the stand and skirt to protect the floor from scratches or water.

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Flocking

Although much less popular than in the 1980s, fluffy white flocking is sometimes sprayed on trees before decorating to simulate snow. While real snow settles in clumps atop branches, flocking is often sprayed all over the tree from the sides. While this is rather unrealistic, it still adds to the effect of a wintry fantasy. Flocking can be done with a professional sprayer at a tree lot (or the manufacturer if it is artificial), or at home from a spray can, and either can be rather messy. This tradition seems to be limited mostly to the United States.

Related Topics:
1980s - Flocking

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