In many countries throughout history, evergreens were used during festive seasons. This was because people thought that they kept away evil and illness. The Egyptians, Romans, Celts and Vikings, among others, all used evergreens in festivals particularly around the solstice. The Romans marked their mid-winter with a festival called Saturnalia to honor the god Saturn, or their god of agriculture. They used the evergreens as decoration to show that their farms would soon be green again after the winter season.

The origins of the modern Christmas tree as we know it today, link back to the Middle Ages and particularly to Germany in the 15th and 16th centuries. There were a few other areas that also had similar traditions. As the popularity grew over time the traditions generally spread from Germany, especially in America where German settlers had their own trees or trees in their communities. Many in America still saw a Christmas tree as a pagan symbol as late as 1840.