The story of the millionaire Christmas tree and the war pilot who changed the tradition by looking at the stained glass window

There will be a story behind all the products we use everyday. Many times we don’t even think about it. We only acknowledge their existence, almost in the Porcian gesture, and determine that they are eternal.

Christmas trees have a long tradition and accelerated evolution from the middle of the last century. They are not always the way we know them today, their shapes, materials and ornaments change over time. Even its meaning.

Last Sunday The New York Times Told the story of Glass, 97-year-old American. He does not have a Christmas tree at home. It would be nothing special if we take into account that their children and grandchildren have already grown up. Adopted grandchildren are waiting for gifts at the homes of their younger ancestors. But if we take into account another situation it is strange: Spiegel is responsible for the fact that almost 80% of homes in the West have an artificial Christmas tree.

Spiegel is one of the few WWII pilots still alive. He recalled his years in a war of nostalgia and fear. He was young and strong, and felt immortal even when thousands fell by his side.

In his last mission His plane was hit by an anti-Nazi fire. It had to be diverted to land in Warsaw, which was already in charge of the Red Army. He was proud to return to the United States. But then he had to return to daily life.

He did some research He went to work in a brush factory. It was a few years until the company faced many financial problems. He discovered it in December of the mid-1950s. He first proposed an alternative plan that no one asked for. They thought it was a joke. But Si Spiegel firmly believed.

Worried about the future of the company, he stood in front of the large window of a large store. They have been decorating it to promote Christmas sales. At one end Two employees who try to keep the freshly cut pine still are having a hard time. Were on the other end Artificial shrubs that look like trees. They were unbelievable and unbelievable. At that time, there were other artificial trees. Some are made of aluminum, which is like the tight and nerve skeleton of a tree.

Spiegel had an expression in front of that window. He presented his bosses with a plan: to open an artificial Christmas tree section. The Christmas delivery business was very healthy. It grossed hundreds of millions of dollars a year. It is not a market to be hated.

Who needs it? Many of the difficulties that entrepreneurs have seen in business. Why artificial wood if there are real trees? How is something made of plastic? Used for Christmas and kept where until the next one arrives? But importantly there was another big question: how to thrive a business that has a maximum of twenty days in a year that includes its sales team?

There were several rejections until one of the executives told Spiegel to give it a try. It gave him a place and a meager budget. The first models were not very encouraging. They were more like hedgehogs than trees. But they did not give up. The product was updated year after year and convinced the customers. In a short time the quality improved a lot and they replaced the real trees.

A mole that reflects green, white, and snow. Everyone has something. Most of the variations came from Si Spiegel, who had the idea in the fifties that someone trusted him and appointed him in charge of the division. Christmas Trees and Wreaths (American Tree and Wreath). In the early 1970s, the company already sold about 800,000 trees a year. Spiegel, a billionaire, ran the company until his retirement at the start of the new millennium.

Homemade Christmas trees appeared in Germany in the early 16th century. Some say it is the best driver Martin Ludero. Selected Trees Evergreen, Evergreen, trees that maintain their foliage throughout the year.

First, the tree was used on December 24th The Feast of Adam and Eve. But soon another custom became popular. Christians celebrated The coming of Jesus On December 24th and one of the household elements that created the ritual of the celebration was a wooden pyramid symbolizing the Holy Trinity.

The Christmas tree we know today is a collection of these two celebrations. One of its main ornaments, Derived from colored balls LIn the Adam and Eve tree, apples placed for obvious reasons.

These ancient trees also had their lamps: candles were placed on their branches so that the light was a presence, a symbol. The existence of God.

Added another element The star representing Bethlehem, According to the New Testament, to the star that the witches followed until they found Jesus. The metaphor is not difficult to understand: a guide, a hope, a way forward.

This German custom was slowly transferred to other countries and other cultures. He came to Scandinavia and then shyly moved to England. In England, the Christmas tree became popular in 1848 Queen Victoria and Prince Albert And a tall tree in the royal palace wants all the English to own their homes. Many years later, English settlers transferred the tradition to the United States.

At the beginning of the 20th century Edison promoted the achievement of the electrical company Load the electric lights on the Christmas tree. Candles are no longer needed. At the end of the first decade of the 20th century, more than $ 20 million was collected from the purchase of Christmas decorations. An industry was born and continues to muscle and thrive to this day. Another custom imported by North Americans is the erection of majestic trees in public places and buildings, which is another tourist destination.

There is an established consensus. It is armed on December 8th. In ancient times it was associated with Frey, the god of fertility and the sun. Christianity associates it with the day of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary. There has been controversy for years over what date to disarm. Some have argued that December 25 should be kept until next year, especially by religious people centered on the birth of Christ: the return of fodder and other symbols associated with the birth to the drawers. The vast majority of people, until now, leave the Magi until January 6, when they deposit their gifts in the junior’s shoes.

This year Santa Claus and the three wise men will leave their gifts in the trees in most homes, and that northern winter afternoon came when Si Spiegel was wondering how to keep his job.

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