Christmas Tree Legend

Along with Christmas tree history containing facts, there are also lots of Christmas tree tales that are told simply for entertainment purposes. It has been established that the original Christmas trees were set up in Europe so how did they get to the United States?

A popular fictitious story goes as follows: On Christmas Eve in 1776 George Washington's troops were disheveled, hungry, and freezing; morale was low. They confronted the Hessian troops in Trenton, New Jersey. According to the story, the Hessians had put up an evergreen tree and covered it with lit candles to remind them of their lives back home. While they were busy eating and drinking grog around the tree, however, they left their posts unguarded. George Washington was able to benefit from this situation and turn the tides in the war.

*There is no record of this event—it is only a legend.