n place of the oak and this, st boniface told the pagans, was the tree of life and represented the christ child.
legend also suggests that, in the late 16th century, martin luther (the founder of the protestant religion) was the first to decorate an indoor tree with candles when he attempted to recreate the stars shining over a forest of evergreens.
the first mention of decorated trees being taken indoors came in 1605 in germany - a country with a long christmas tree history! the trees were initially decorated with fruit and sweets together with hand made objects such as quilled snowflakes and stars. german christmas markets began to sell shaped gingerbreads and wax ornaments which people bought as souvenirs of the fair and took home to hang on their tree.
tinsel was also invented in germany in about 1610. up until fairly recently real silver was used, which was pulled into wafer thin strips by special machines. this was durable but tarnished quickly and m