This episode looks at the early days of Christmas trees, the origin of glass ornaments, and the practice of mounting lit candles on trees before electric bulbs were invented.

Research:

· “36 Perish as Party Guests Stampede to Flee Flames.” The Minneapolis Star. Dec 25, 1924. https://www.newspapers.com/image/178762039/

· “Accident From a Christmas Tree.” The Morning Post. Jan 11, 1850. https://www.newspapers.com/image/402121758/?match=1&terms=%22christmas%20tree%22%20Victoria

· Barnes, Allison. “The First Christmas Tree. History Today. December 12, 2006. https://www.historytoday.com/archive/history-matters/first-christmas-tree

· Brittain, J. E. "John R. Crouse and the Society for Electrical Development [Scanning the Past]." Proceedings of the IEEE, vol. 86, no. 12, pp. 2475-2477, Dec. 1998. https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/735455

· Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Woolworth Co.." Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 Nov. 2024, https://www.britannica.com/money/Woolworth-Co

· “A Christmas tree candle set fire … “ The Jersey City News. Jan. 9, 1892. https://www.newspapers.com/image/856106974/?match=1&terms=christmas%20tree%20candles%20fire

· Coleridge, Samuel Taylor, and Ernest Hartley Coleridge, ed. “LETTERS OF
SAMUEL TAYLOR COLERIDGE.” London. William Heinemann. 1895. Accessed online: https://gutenberg.org/files/44553/44553-h/44553-h.htm

· Flander, Judith. “Christmas: A Biography.” Thomas Dunne Books. 2017.

· Foyle, Jonathan. “The Business of Baubles – and the Town That Invented Them.” Financial Times. Dec. 19, 2014. https://www.ft.com/content/ce33a468-812a-11e4-b956-00144feabdc0

· “Glass Christmas Ornaments.” The German Way. https://www.german-way.com/history-and-culture/holidays-and-celebrations/christmas/glass-christmas-ornaments/

· Loud, Nicholas. “The History of Christmas Decorations in America.” Saturday Evening Post. December 2020. https://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2020/12/the-history-of-christmas-decorations-in-america/

· Lorch, Mark. “The Forgotten Scientist Who Made Modern Christmas Ornaments Possible.” Fast Company. Dec. 21, 2021. https://www.fastcompany.com/90707875/the-forgotten-scientist-who-made-modern-christmas-ornaments-possible

· Malanowski, Jamie. “Untangling the History of Christmas Lights.” Smithsonian. December 2016. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/untangling-history-christmas-lights-180961140/

· “No Christmas Tree Fires Are Reported Here.” Alton Evening Telegraph. Dec. 28. 1921. https://www.newspapers.com/image/19919324/?match=1&terms=christmas%20tree%20candles%20fire

· “A few years ago the caution …” Daily Plainsman. Dec. 12, 1929. https://www.newspapers.com/image/23432095/?match=1&terms=christmas%20tree%20candles%20fire

· “Christmas Tree Candles – Fire.” The Courier-Journal of Louisville. Jan. 05, 1909. https://www.newspapers.com/image/119330231/?match=1&terms=christmas%20tree%20candles%20fire

· “The Christmas Tree at Windsor Castle.” The Morning Post. Dec. 28, 1848. https://www.newspapers.com/image/402196932/?match=1&terms=%22christmas%20tree%22%20Victoria

· “Feiker Takes Commerce Post.” New York Times. July 2, 1931. https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1931/07/02/113339929.pdf?pdf_redirect=true&ip=0

· “German Hospital, Dalston.” The Morning Post. Jan. 1, 1848. https://www.newspapers.com/image/402129709/?match=1&terms=%22christmas%20tree%22%20Victoria

· Prior, Dr. M. Faye. “Trimming the Tree – Glass and metal Christmas tree decorations.” York Museum Trust. https://www.yorkmuseumstrust.org.uk/blog/trimming-the-tree-glass-and-metal-christmas-tree-decorations/

· Roberts, Sam. “Si Spiegel, War Hero Who Modernized Christmas Trees, Dies at 99.” New York Times. Feb. 11, 2024.

· Scinto, Madeleine. “Americans Are Spending A Whopping $6 Billion On Christmas Decorations This Year.” Business Insider. Dec. 7, 2011. https://www.businessinsider.com/americans-are-spending-a-record-6-billion-on-christmas-decorations-2011-12

· Shapiro, Laurie Gwen. “He Bombed the Nazis, Outwitted the Soviets and Modernized Christmas.” New York Times. Dec. 17, 2021. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/17/nyregion/bomber-pilot-christmas-trees.html

· Tikkanen, Amy. "How Did the Tradition of Christmas Trees Start? ". Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Dec. 2022, https://www.britannica.com/story/how-did-the-tradition-of-christmas-trees-start

· Waxman, Olivia B. “How Christmas Trees Became a Holiday Tradition.” TIME. Dec. 21, 2020. https://time.com/5736523/history-of-christmas-trees/

· Waxman, Olivia B. “The Electricity Lobby Was Behind the First National Christmas Tree Lighting.” TIME. Dec. 1, 2016. https://time.com/4580764/national-christmas-tree-lighting-history-origins/

· Waxman, Olivia B. “This Was the First Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree.” TIME. Nov. 30, 2016. https://time.com/4578685/first-rockefeller-center-christmas-tree-lighting/

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Christmas Décor

Stuff You Missed in History Class