iN PHOTOS: Family Christmas trees add festive touch in Kamloops, Okanagan

Families in Kamloops and the Okanagan have been busy decorating their Christmas trees this month, adding festive cheer to homes and businesses.

When iNFOnews.ca asked for residents to share photos of their magical creations, many responded and some of these trees are pretty creative.

One resident decorated her trees with ghosts, while another made a Charlie Brown tree.

Often associated with Christianity, the Christmas tree originates with pagan cultures who brought the trees indoors to recognize winter solstice, believing they would fend off darkness and cold, according to the Canadian Encyclopedia. 

By the 1700s, the trees were an established tradition in Germany that gradually spread into parts of Europe and eventually North America.

German settlers began migrating to Canada from the United States in the 1700s. They brought Canada’s first Christmas trees and, in later generations, gingerbread houses and Advent calendars.

The first recorded appearance of a Christmas tree in Canada was in Quebec in 1781 when the wife of a notable baron and commander of German soldiers defending Canada hosted a party for British and German officers that included a fir tree decorated with fruits and lit candles.

In 1846, Queen Victoria and German Prince Albert were sketched in the Illustrated London News standing around a Christmas tree with their kids, furthering the popularity of the trees in Europe and North America.

Thank you for your tree photo submissions, Merry Christmas from the team at iNFOnews.ca.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Shannon Ainslie or call 250-819-6089 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

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