O Christmas tree: the history of tree stands
Often unseen, but rich in history: Christmas tree stands show how practical necessity spawned a wealth of innovation – from the wooden cross, to cast iron stands and the clamping technique.
Géraldine Lysser
Géraldine Lysser studied history and business administration and works in communications at the Swiss National Museum.
The first written accounts of Christmas trees date from the 15th and 16th centuries in what is now southern Germany, Alsace and the Baltic countries. Around 1600, journeyman tailors in Basel carried green trees through the streets at Christmas time. They decorated the trees at home with apples and cheese. These treats were then taken from the tree and eaten.
The Christmas tree was already widespread in Lutheran Germany by the 18th century. The custom spread throughout German-speaking Switzerland in the 19th century, having again started in the Protestant parts of the country. The decorated tree gained broad acceptance in Catholic areas after the war as an addition to the crib.
How do you set up a Christmas tree?
The first mention of an actual tree stand was most likely a handwritten message dating from 1604: “We are working on putting a square base together […]”, which was probably a reference to a wooden board with a hole in the middle. Such simple wooden constructions were common in those days: a hole was drilled in the middle of boards or blocks in which to put the trunk of the tree. Large fodder beets with a hole in the middle could also be used as Christmas tree stands.
Metal stands soon became a fixture among more affluent folk. Their weight made them more stable and they could be adapted to different trunk sizes with screws. A patent was filed for a cast iron stand in 1860. It was first produced in 1866 by a German company called Rödinghausen. Many cast iron stands were produced over the ensuing decades, and their design was adapted to suit different tastes.
New solutions for old problems
Some stands also came with a water container to keep the tree looking fresh and avoid it shedding needles. They caught on after the Second World War and were usually made of glass, ceramic or plastic, which made them cheaper and easier to handle than cast iron models.
The Glashütte Bülach model proved particularly popular in Switzerland. The glass was made with quartz sand with a high iron content, giving the glass its characteristic green hue. The stand was patented in 1939 and advertised in many magazines.
Advert for the green Christmas tree stands from 1950. e-newspaperarchives / Photo: Alexander Rechsteiner
A company called Krinner decided to do something about it. The company’s founder Klaus Krinner developed a stand with a clamping mechanism in 1989. This was the first time a stand could be adapted to fit the trunk regardless of its incline. Now over 90 per cent of all stands in the market use the clamping mechanism.
