The practice of decorating a home with pine boughs predates the more modern idea of the Christmas tree by centuries. By the 1600s, the Protestant population of Germany embraced the idea of bringing a tree into the home and decorating it, setting in motion the development of a grand Western tradition that has spread beyond Europe and North America, and fuels an entire industry of tree farms and the manufacture of artificial trees. If you’re celebrating Christmas today, we wish you a merry one.
Happy holidays!
Today in History
More Desktop Wallpapers:
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Entoloma hochstetteri mushroom at Lake Mahinapua, New Zealand
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Adorable activism
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It’s showtime for a precious crop
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A stroll above the stratosphere
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Global commerce in motion
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International Haiku Poetry Day
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Life in the slow lane
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D-Day remembered
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The Crown of the Continent
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Santorini through the clouds
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Aurora borealis
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Fiordland National Park, New Zealand
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Don’t look down
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Eben Ice Caves, Upper Peninsula, Michigan
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Singing praises of the oceans
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National Park Week: Yosemite National Park, California
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Anybody out there?
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Cue up the tango music
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Celebrating World Water Day
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Who s there? The largest owl in the world
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Siblings Day
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Bear Hole Brook, Catskill Mountains, New York
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Whale hello there!
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Homeward bound
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A Festivus for the rest of us
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World Rainforest Day
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Avatar Mountains, Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, China
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Martin Luther King Jr. Day
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Wild scene on the Merced River
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Black History Month