Christmas trees are like TVs

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My wife made a comment to me yesterday saying, "Isn't it crazy to think that in the U.S. almost every home this time of year has a Christmas tree up in it?"

And I think she's right... at least it seems like it. It's similar to having a TV in your home. According to Nielsen's National Television Universe Estimates, "96.1% of all U.S. homes receive television via traditional over-the-air TV, cable, direct broadcast satellite, telco or broadband internet connection to a TV set". That's a lot of homes with TVs, 120.6 million.

To do a comparison now. I looked up how many homes have Christmas trees in the U.S. According to the American Christmas Tree Association (who knew right?) "77% of U.S. households celebrated the 2018 holiday season with a Christmas tree". That's more than 95 million. So not quite as many homes as those with TVs, but that's still a lot of Christmas trees! And I think it's still a good way to think about homes in the U.S. having a Christmas tree with them being on a similar level as having a TV... you just have one.

But why? Why do people feel the need for a Christmas tree? Why spend time decorating them? Putting lights on them. Putting presents under them. I know the Christmas tree has some German roots and goes back a long way to other cultures that brought plants that stayed green inside during winter to keep bad spirits and sickness away. But I think today Christmas trees are mainly deeply rooted in our culture. Our parents did it and their parents did it and everybody does it. It's part of the holiday of Christmas and it's something people in the U.S. do. We want to belong to something. The thing interesting about a Christmas tree is it has Christian roots, but I don't think that 77% percent (the number of homes with Christmas trees) would all claim to be Christians. Will the Christmas tree continue to be something that people put up around this time of year? I don't see it going away. But it's something to think about.

Lastly, why do you put up a Christmas tree? Does it have significance or is it just something everybody else is doing so you're doing it too?

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