10 Christmas tree facts to think about as you decorate your tree
1. 1000 years ago in Northern Europe Christmas trees were hung upside down from chandeliers!
2. The first documented use of a tree at Christmas was in the town square of Riga, the capital of Latvia, in the year 1510.
3. Candles were originally used to decorate Christmas trees to represent the stars in the night sky, but of course this was a great fire hazard. Electric lights have replaced the candles. The first string of electric lights was created in 1880 by Thomas Edison, the inventor of the first successful practical light bulb.
4. Nowadays we see angels or stars on the tops of our Christmas trees, but prior to this it was a figure of the Baby Jesus.
5. The Christmas tree in Trafalgar Square in London is given to the UK by Norway every year as a thank you gift for the help the UK gave Norway in World War II.
6. Around 8 million Christmas trees are sold each year in the UK.
7. There are three main varieties of Christmas tree; Pine, Spruce and Noble Fir.
8. The Pine takes 5 years to grow, the Spruce 7 years and the Noble Fir 10 years.
9. Artificial trees damage the environment. They last for less than six years in your home, but for centuries in a landfill.
10. An acre of Christmas trees provides 18 people the daily oxygen they need.