The Christmas Tree by the Numbers

Cram on Christmas trivia with this list of numerical tidbits from GeekMom
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  1. According to legend the first Christmas tree was lit in the US in 1776 by Hessian mercenaries fighting on behalf of the British.
  2. The Christmas tree was introduced in England in 1841 by Prince Albert.
  3. Between 34 and 36 million trees are produced each year specifically for Christmas celebrations.
  4. The first White House Christmas tree was erected by Franklin Pierce in 1856. The first electric lights were strung by Grover Cleveland in 1895.
  5. The first tree on the south lawn of the White House, the national tree, was set up in 1923 and stood 60-feet tall.
  6. According to the National Christmas Tree Association 30.8 million real trees were sold last year with a mean cost of $34.87. 9.5 million fake trees were sold at a mean cost of $70.55
  7. The white pine is the largest in the US, its needles can reach up to five inches in length.
  8. Of real Christmas trees purchased it is estimated that 84% are pre cut and 16% are self cut.
  9. Eighteen people can be supported by the oxygen generated by one acre of living Christmas trees.
  10. Approximately 17,000 people attended the lighting of the White House this year.
  11. The first community Christmas tree was strung with 1,200 electric lights in 1912.
  12. The first patent for a Christmas tree stand was issued in 1876. They could not hold water until 1899.
  13. The first written records of trees being taken inside and decorated at Christmas occur in records from Strasbourg, Germany, they are dated 1605, though some say that Martin Luther erected the first Christmas tree in 1510.
  14. There are about 26,000 light bulbs on the Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center. It takes two days to simply put up the scaffolding.
  15. On the first day it is inside, a Christmas tree can absorb more than one gallon of water.
  16. The tallest tree ever erected goes to the 212 foot beauty set up in the Northport Mall parking lot in Washington state in 1950.

Sources:The Christmas Almanac, edited by Natasha Tabori Fried

www.realchristmastrees.org