Why do we put up a Christmas tree, and why is kissing under the mistletoe allowed? Both customs trace back to German traditions — and to the influence of Queen Victoria herself.

The Christmas tree tradition can be traced back to 16th-century Germany, where Christian families brought evergreen branches into their homes as part of religious celebrations. Over time, these Christian observances merged with older pagan winter rituals, including superstitions surrounding the winter solstice. Later, the evergreens were decorated with apples — a nod to the biblical story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.

Legend has it that Martin Luther was the first to add candles to the fir tree — turning it into a glowing symbol of Christ as the Light of the World.

But the Christmas tree truly conquered the world in the 19th century, after Queen Victoria and her husband, Prince Albert, set up their own tree — a festive flourish that quickly caught on.

In 1848, The Illustrated London News published an image of Queen Victoria, Prince Albert and their children gathered around a decorated Christmas tree. The picture sparked a sensation, launching the Christmas tree’s rise to global fame.

Prince Albert, who was born in Germany, was a devoted Christmas enthusiast — as was the Queen herself, the BBC notes.

23 Dec: a picture of Queen Victoria and her family, ‘Christmas Tree at Windsor Castle’, was published in ‘The Illustrated London News’ in 1848. It helped to popularise the Christmas tree among ordinary people.#londonadventcalendar #queenvictoria #christmastree pic.twitter.com/YjVRlOptQZ

— London On The Ground (@LondonOnGround) December 23, 2025

At first, families displayed small fir trees on tabletops. But as trees began to be shipped to Britain from Norway, they rapidly grew in size — and Christmas trees became bigger and bolder than ever.

Kiss beneath the mistletoe: allowed

Another tradition is tied to evergreens as well, with the widespread belief across the Western world that kissing beneath mistletoe is allowed. In the United Kingdom, the custom is thought to date back to the 1700s, but it gained real popularity in the 1800s — during the Victorian era.

One of the more common meanings is that mistletoe is seen as a symbol of fertility and life – and that this could be why we kiss underneath it.

In winter, when all the trees are bare and many plants have died away, mistletoe stays green and you can still see it growing around tree branches quite happily.

𝘔𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘦 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘮𝘢𝘴: 𝘊𝘰𝘶𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘋𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘔𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘰𝘦, 1928 pic.twitter.com/YRP7dVbSBQ

— The Ways of A Gentleman (@Gentleman_Ways) December 17, 2024

Ancient Norwegian and Scandinavian tales agree that mistletoe has meanings of love and friendship. It is said that the mistletoe’s white berries are tears that the goddess of love called Frigg cried for her son Baldr, and that she announced that mistletoe should be a plant of love.

Other traditions, from Greek and Roman times, cast mistletoe as a symbol of peace and friendship — which may be why a kiss beneath it gets a free pass.