Why do we have Christmas trees?

Christmas is fast approaching and almost everyone is counting down. Some are busy buying Christmas decors, some are buying and putting up the Christmas tree. But why do we have Christmas trees?

From the Reader's Digest Why In The World, the explanation goes like this:

Legend has it that a long, long time ago, a child was seeking shelter on a bitter winter's night at a forest hut. A woodcutter and his wife who lived in the hut took the child in and fed him. Then overnight, the child turned into an Angel-- the Christ child -- dressed in gold. The child rewarded the couple for their kindness by giving them a twig from a fir tree,

Image by Gabludlow via Flickr

and told them to plant it, promising that every year, during the Christmas season, it would bear fruit. And so it did, some silver nuts and a crop of golden apple. It was then the very first Christmas tree.

To express the magic of Christmas, of all its symbols, a custom started with this fir tree ablaze with light, shimmering with frost, real or artificial and crowned with a star.

Image via Wikipedia

This custom has become popular worldwide and the now familiar sight of a giant Christmas trees seen in public places and modern shops are now widespread.