Peek in the average American's home during the holidays and you're likely to find an artificial Christmas tree. The American Christmas Tree Association reports that 75 percent of Americans display a Christmas tree and roughly 84 percent of them will put up an artificial one. Ever wonder where and when the artificial Christmas tree first laid its roots? Artificial or not, these trees certainly have grown through the years.
The first artificial Christmas trees started to appear in Germany in the late 19th century. At the time, Germany was suffering extensive deforestation and people needed a greener alternative. Early artificial trees actually used goose feathers, dyed green to emulate bristles. These trees didn't offer the lushest experience, but they became popular nonetheless.
In the early 1900s, Addis Brush Company, then busy making toilet brushes, realized that they could make better-looking artificial trees. The brush company took their artificial toilet brushes, dyed them green, and then used them to make an artificial tree. Trees made out brushes and similar materials remained popular through much of the early 20th century.
In the 1950s, aluminum trees, which ditched green for silvery leaves, became quite popular. The futuristic look likely meshed well with the budding space race. However, the aluminum trees ended up on the naughty list of Charlie Brown, the titular character of the famous comics. In 1965's A Charlie Brown Christmas, Charlie took issue with the over-commercialization of Christmas, and one of his targets was the aluminum Christmas tree. Charlie chose a puny green tree over an aluminum one, sending a message to millions of Americans, who began shunning aluminum trees.
Artificial trees would return to form in the 1980s, when PVC plastic trees emulating natural green trees became hugely popular. Since then, artificial trees have dominated the market.