Little is known about the first decorated Christmas tree in Riga, Latvia, other than the tree was placed in the public marketplace and decorated by members of a merchants guild to honor the birth of Christ. A ceremony was held and the tree was burnt at its conclusion.
The year of that first decorated Christmas tree was 1510, 500 years ago. A plaque now marks the spot where the first Christmas tree stood. This year, Christmas tree growers from around the world are commemorating the 500 years of the beloved holiday tradition.
“Christmas tree growers from Ohio are proud to be a small part of this long and cherished Christmas tradition,” said Dave Reese, owner of Kaleidoscope Farms in Hancock County. “Many of the Christmas tree farms in the state will being doing special activities and promotions to commemorate this occasion. It is not every year you get to be a part of a 500-year anniversary.”
At the National Christmas Tree Convention, held in North Carolina last August, trees were on display to demonstrate the various styles of decoration through each century of the Christmas tree. In addition, a special ceremony will be held at the site of the world’s first decorated Christmas tree this season.
Kaleidoscope Farms will be celebrating the event in a number of ways.
“We have a number of items in our gift shop that will help people celebrate 500 years of Christmas trees,” Reese said. “We have a scavenger hunt this year highlighting 500 years of Christmas trees.
We have a number of commemorative cards and ornaments featuring the original artwork of Jesse Barnes and J. Wecker Frisch and we will be honoring the buyer of the 500th Christmas tree we sell this year.”
The gift shop at the farm will be offering significantly expanded new merchandise offerings including home décor, fresh greenery and Christmas gifts. The gift shop will be opening at 8 a.m. the day after Thanksgiving for shoppers to get an early start.
“We wanted to add to the great experience at Kaleidoscope Farms by offering our customers more to choose from in the gift shop than we ever have before,” Reese said. “Whatever your plans for the Christmas season, take the opportunity to visit a tree farm to get a real tree to celebrate the season, support your local economy, benefit the environment, and participate in 500 years of this great holiday tradition.”
For more visit kaleidoscopefarms.com
Contact Reese with questions at 419-722-1154.
No comments:
Post a Comment