"Oh Christmas Tree" Trivia Quiz

Answer: strips of silver

Real silver was used as tinsel for over 300 years. It was rolled out flat and sliced into thin strips. It was used over and over again and passed down through the generations. It tarnished easily and had to be polished every year by hand. In the 19th century lead was added to help the tinsel hang better, but it was removed in the 20th century because of health concerns.

Answer: Germany

The Christmas tree is a Germanic custom that was brought to Great Britain with the Georgian Kings. It caught on quickly with the aristocracy but not with the peasants who looked at it as a foreign custom. It took over 100 years for the practice to become commonplace in Great Britain and its outlying territories.

Answer: Queen Victoria

In 1846, the publication "The Illustrated London News" carried an illustration of Queen Victoria and her family around a Christmas tree. That was all it took. The country loved their queen, and if she liked Christmas trees so did they!

Answer: True

This is true. For many years, only the tops were cut off trees and used as Christmas trees. They were usually no more than 2-3 ft. tall and usually stood on a table. During the Victorian era this changed as people became fonder of large floor standing Christmas trees and it became a status symbol to have the largest tree in your neighborhood.

Answer: Addis Brush Company

Around 1900, the Addis Brush Company started producing the first artificial Christmas tree. It was made from the same material that they used for their toilet brushes. The material was simply dyed green. The over cutting of trees for holiday usage had caused legislation to be passed in some areas banning the cutting of live trees for use as Christmas trees. The artificial tree was a hit!

Answer: true

As strange as this might sound, it is true. This was done in Poland in the 16th century after it was invaded by the Prussians. It was being done in some regions of Germany as far back as the 12th century. It was considered a Christmas chandelier.

Answer: candles

Candles were used for hundreds of years. They did have the unfortunate side effect of sometimes catching the tree on fire which usually spread and burnt the home down.

Answer: Franklin Pierce

Franklin Pierce was the first president to erect a Christmas tree in the White House. The proper name for the main Presidential Christmas tree is the Blue Room Christmas tree. The motif of this tree is left to the discretion of the First Lady. The tradition has varied with each president that followed.

A few presidents did not have any tree, while in 1997 there were 36 Christmas trees in the White House!

Answer: Norway spruce

Every year but 4, it has been a Norway spruce. This type of tree has a wonderful shape even when it gets 90 feet tall. Many other evergreen trees lose their triangular shape when they get this tall. It is not the best choice for a 5 foot tall family tree as it does not hold ornaments well when it is a small size tree.

The other three choices are better options for home Christmas trees. Be careful with the Scotch pine, it has nice color and holds ornaments well, but it also has the sharpest needles!

Answer: Ernst Anschustz

Ernst Anschustz is the only German composer of the 4 choices. Mozart was Austrian, Paganini was Italian and Chopin was Polish. Anschustz passed away in 1861 and was most noted as a teacher. "O Tannenbaum" is by far his most well known work. There are other German songs about Christmas trees but his is the one that was translated into English and has been played for over 100 years every Christmas season.