Unwrapping the Obsession: Why We Adore Christmas Lights, Trees, and Tinsel

Come November, many of us embark on a well-known tradition. We clear off the mantelpiece, haul out a plethora of holiday knickknacks, and begin disentangling our snarled strings of lights. A spiky tree makes a rare indoor appearance. Pine cones, garlands, sleighs, candy canes, and even nutcrackers suddenly gain significance almost overnight. Every visible surface is adorned in red, gold, white, and green. It’s a shared endeavor so widespread that few of us stop to question why we’re doing it.

However, the question of why we make such a fuss over holiday decorations is worth exploring. The reasons behind the trees and lights are as varied as the ways we celebrate the season, rooted in traditions that span centuries.

Emblems of Belief

Long before we began propping up artificial firs in our living rooms, the ancient Romans decorated their homes with evergreen wreaths as part of their exuberant Saturnalia celebrations. As one of the few plants that thrive during the winter, evergreens symbolized enduring life amid the bleak, cold season throughout Europe. How they came to be associated with Christmas is still debated.

Early Christians were not typically fond of decorations and were particularly wary of pagan symbols like these evergreen branches. Tertullian, a notable evangelist from the second century, even claimed that these “laurels” were destined to burn in the “fires of hell” along with those who adorned their homes with them. But today, much like the lights and other festive trappings, trees have become a fundamental part of the Christmas tradition for the devout and non-religious alike. So, what changed?

One story tells of the English Benedictine monk Boniface, who, while on a mission in eighth-century Germany, encountered a group of native Germans making sacrifices in front of a massive oak tree dedicated to Thor. To halt their idolatry, Boniface chopped down the tree, and the pagans stood in disbelief, expecting Thor to retaliate with lightning. When that didn’t happen, he used the moment to convert them. Months later, a fir tree emerged from the fallen oak—a triangular symbol of the Trinity and rebirth in Christianity.

Legends like this undoubtedly explain why the tradition we now know as the modern Christmas tree began among Christians in 16th-century Germany. After the custom reached Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in the 1840s, it wasn’t long before nearly every British and American household had a tree adorned with candles for the holidays.

Though Christmas has largely become a secular celebration today, for many Christians, the “reason for the season” remains the birth of Jesus Christ. For them, each decoration is interpreted through the lens of faith. Evergreen trees represent eternal life. The star atop the tree recalls the one seen by the wise men in the Nativity story. And Christmas lights symbolize the hope and comfort of the savior, a constant presence through the dark winter months.

Likewise, those of other faiths also decorate as part of their traditions during the holiday season. For instance, Jewish people light their menorahs for the eight days of Hanukkah as a representation of the primordial light of creation, display dreidels, or create paper chains in the tradition of Sukkot.

Customs Handed Down Through the Ages

For some, illuminating the house exterior and hanging ornaments on the tree are nostalgic nods to their childhood days. We recall baking cookies or decorating with our parents, admiring the enchanting lights leading up to the holiday, and rushing downstairs to open gifts on Christmas morning. Parents aim to recreate the magic and joy of the holiday season for their own children, turning long-standing family customs into annual traditions. Decorations are part of capturing that old enchantment, and how we set them up becomes almost like casting a spell. This is why asking anyone about their holiday decorating traditions often reveals unique family-specific practices.

Aesthetics, Marketing, and Good Old-Fashioned One-Upmanship

At the end of the day, many of us don’t need intricate symbolism behind our Christmas lights—it’s about creating a display that delights those who see it. A bare midwinter house serves as our blank canvas, and the lights are our brushstrokes.

Neighbors may think we’re overzealous as we amplify our displays year after year, but we can be assured it’s a time-honored practice. Before electric lights came into the picture, the only true festive lights were the precarious candles people placed on their Christmas tree branches. But in 1882, Edward Hibberd Johnson, vice president of Thomas Edison’s Edison Electric Light Company, envisioned a change. He hand-wired 80 red, white, and blue lights and scattered them around a Christmas tree in his parlor window. The display was a hit with the press and soon attracted crowds to marvel at this innovative decoration. But predictably, 80 bulbs soon weren’t enough. Within two years, Johnson had increased the total to 120, which may not seem drastic today, but was extravagant given 19th-century bulb prices.

This trend has since given rise to a competitive community of Christmas enthusiasts, continuously elevating their displays to impressive new heights to win local contests and outshine their neighbors. Just take a look at some of these extravagant setups to see the results.

Whether you’re a city, HOA, business, or charity owner seeking to captivate passers-by, a self-proclaimed artist using Christmas as a creative outlet, or a parent trying to preserve family traditions, decorations are a crucial element of the holiday puzzle. This is the true beauty of all the trees, lights, mistletoe, and ornaments: they hold significance for many people for various reasons, becoming beautiful vessels of the hopes, dreams, and beliefs of those who take the time to set them up and bring joy to their communities. That’s a reality worth celebrating, no matter your personal reason for the season.