Christmas trees have a shorter history, especially as related to the Christmas holiday, than one might think. While there were several pagan rituals that involved decorating trees throughout the late medieval period, the first official known use of a decorated tree on Christmas was in the 16th century. At that time, instances of trees being decorated with actual food or gifts for the poor to take were documented in Switzerland, Germany and Latvia. A region on the border of Germany and France (Alsace) was also showing signs of widespread, localized use of Christmas Trees during this time.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the use of Christmas trees inside the home slowly spread throughout parts of Germany. One anecdote is that Martin Luther was the first, or among the first, to decorate a Christmas tree inside the home. At around the turn of the 18th to 19th centuries, documentation of trees being used by nobility in countries other than Germany is found, and with the use of the trees by British monarchies in the early 19th century, popularity spread.
As best as we can tell, throughout the 19th century Christmas trees became established worldwide. Around 1850, the first records of Christmas trees being used in America exist. By the later 1800's, it appears that Christmas trees had become relatively commonplace. Christmas trees not only became a way to celebrate the holiday, but also became centerpieces and landmarks for Christmas festivities. The tree at Rockefeller Plaza in Manhattan is a holiday mainstay, and there has been a Christmas tree on the White House lawn ever since Coolidge was president in the 1920's.
