Christmas trees as we now know them are thought to have first become popular in Germany back in the 16th century. However, there is a much longer history of bringing evergreens indoors.
Thousands of years ago, to celebrate the winter solstice, people brought evergreen boughs indoors to remind them of the greenery that would return with warmer months.
In modern times, Prince Albert is credited with popularizing the Christmas tree in 1846 when he brought across the tradition from his German heritage. When a sketch of Queen Victoria, Prince Albert and their children standing around a Christmas tree circulated, this started a trend for Christmas trees in both the UK and the east coast of America, before permeating the rest of the Christian world.