American Christmas Trees

How did Christmas trees come to be in America? Christmas trees appear to be European in origin, so how did the trend catch on in North America? The beautiful Christmas tree came to be in America through the written word.

People didn't see Christmas trees and become inspired by them, they read about them in books that told the history of the Christmas tree. They were so taken by the history and the descriptions that they decided to set up their own. In the 1800's, reading was an activity enjoyed by the upper middle class so the custom began with the elite; the rank and file wouldn't follow until later. In these days, Christmas trees were probably more of a status symbol.