by Paul R. Spitzzeri
The rapid nationwide rise in the holding of community Christmas tree celebrations, generally attributed to a program held in 1912 at Madison Square in New York City, including the emergence of these events in greater Los Angeles beginning a year later, including in Covina, Riverside, Van Nuys and Whittier.
In its 2 January 1915 edition, the Long Beach Press-Telegram published an editorial under the heading of “Women and Their City: A Record of Achievements in American Cities” which observed that,
A new community spirit has been born and a new meaning has been given to Christmas day by the community Christmas trees which have risen in a hundred different American communities in the last two years. Other hundreds of cities will conduct Christmas tree celebrations this year. In these affairs, in which the whole city, rich and poor, join in an open-air Christmas demonstration under the electric-lighted boughs of some large tree, either temporarily or permanently set for the occasion in the center of the community, commercial clubs, city officials, charity organizations, schools and women as individuals or in clubs have been sponsors, but chiefly the women have been responsible for the rapid growth of this new form of making the most out of Christmas.
An example was given of the impetus that the Federation of Women gave to the holding of one of these events in Beloit, Wisconsin, in which “the very atmosphere became electrified with the spirit of the new community Christmas.” It was also remarked that the effort of women there and elsewhere involved the planting of evergreen trees that were permanent reminders of the holiday spirit. In Providence, Rhode Island, credit was given to the Congress of Mothers for its lead role in a community tree event, while a Consumers’ League contingent of women did the same in Syracuse. In some cases, it was added, individual women led the way to the holding of celebrations.
The effects of the events, with music, storytelling, gift giving and other aspects, also benefitted by widespread collaboration and contribution, including electric utilities providing lights and the use of current for the trees. The editorial concluded with the comment that, “it would be impossible to give anything like the full credit due women in many cities for their aid in the Christmas tree movement which has become so popular in two short years.” The Pasadena Star of 21 December, discussing the New York City pioneer event, reported that more than 300 cities held similar gatherings the prior year.
When the 1915 holiday season approached, however, there were some communities that elected not to partake. The Pomona Review of 19 November reported that “there will be no municipal or community Christmas tree” in town despite a proposal to do so as “this matter was definitely settled at a me[e]ting of representatives of churches, lodges and other organizations . . . when it was unanimously voted to drop the entire matter for the year.”
The reasons provided for the decision to opt out were that time was running short for planning, churches already had their Christmas events in the works and there were questions about whether there was enough excess energy in taking on the project after the city’s recent “Pageant of Progress.” While there was mention about conflicting viewpoints due to the latter, it was also suggested that there was total harmony about the attendees, though the mayor stated “the evident majority of the church people had decided not to participate.”
There were some, however, who wanted such an event, with one speaker delineating a difference between a community and a municipal one, and there was some talk about considering an event in 1916. A Mrs. Christ was paraphrased as opining on,
the value of a community Christmas as a means of carrying to the hearts of those who do not attend church, the true spirit and beauty of such an occasion, thus drawing them nearer to the church.
Contrasting this reluctance was the holding of the third community tree celebration at Riverside, with the Los Angeles Times of the day after Christmas reporting that a throng of 10,000 attended as “the flash of electric lights revealed a scene of magical charm” when “a hug fir tree in the park burst into a blaze of vari-colored lights.” It was added that the event “brought to a close a ‘giving’ Christmas” which led the paper to remark that “never in the history of the city has charity work for the holiday season been so well organized nor the giving so generous.”
The next day’s edition of the paper commented that “the community Christmas tree attracted the largest audience ever seen in Van Nuys,” topping what was said to be the case in 1914, as a event was held in the edifice of the new high school in that San Fernando Valley town. Among the localities that held community tree events in 1915 were Beverly Hills, which offered a present to each child in attendance and Claremont, situated at opposite ends of Los Angeles County.
The Pomona Bulletin informed readers in its Christmas Eve issue that “Claremont is to have its share of Christmas cheer and gaiety and nearly every home will be entertaining few or many guests on Christmas Day.” It was added that an entertainment for children was to be held that night and “after the program indoors the community Christmas tree, which is the old oak in the middle of College avenue, will be lighted with the red and green electric lights,” something that was introduced the prior year at the instigation of a local member of the clergy.
For 1916, the Times of 3 December published a report from a local correspondent in another San Gabriel Valley town, Azusa, that “two score representatives of every organization . . . met at the City Hall to discuss plans for a municipal Christmas tree and a holiday celebration” following a suggestion by the mayor that was “enthusiastically accepted.” The account continued that “a huge evergreen tree will be erected in the fountain of Library Park and a programme of Christmas music given on Friday night preceding Christmas” with it concluded that “the tree will be lighted every evening during the holiday week and on New Year’s eve will glow until midnight as a beacon for the dawn of 1917.
In its issue of the 12th, the Pasadena Star-News informed Crown City readers, thanks to student Lorena Snudden, that “Cleveland school is to have a real community Christmas tree this year with all the things that go with it.” Those youngsters not yet of school age were invited to attend with plans accounting for up to 60 of the little folks, who were to enjoy a trio of programs, as were kindergarten, primary and grade level students of the school.
The paper noted that carols and recitations were to be “the order of the day and it is hoped that every child will learn the meaning of the Christmas spirit.” The article concluded that the campus motto for December included charity, giving and kindness with the idea that “every child in the Cleveland school will be responsible for making at least one other child happy this Christmas season.”
Riverside’s fourth community Christmas tree event offered a new component as the Times of the 23rd reported from correspondence there that “an elephant, a camel and a beautiful Arab charger [horse] will feature [in] the Biblical pageant which will be held in conjunction” with the festivities at White Park. The animals were to “typify in a graphic manner the journey of the three wise men of the East to the manger of the Christ-child” and were procured from the Cole Brothers Circus, which had its winter quarters in the city.
The shepherds were to proceed through city streets following carolers dressed as shepherds and then “will gather about the huge Christmas tree, which will be adorned with myriads of colored electric lights.” The account ended by remarking that “Christmas hymns will be sung by a well-trained chorus” and be joined by the crowds that “annually tax the park grounds to their capacity.”
In its edition, also of the 23rd, the Long Beach Telegram ran a short feature titled “The Municipal Christmas Tree,” in which readers were informed that,
Making Christmas happy for the poor, the lonely, rich, those who have no family ties to bind them close to the great heart of humanity at Christmastide, is the mission of the municipal or city Christmas. Even many small towns have welcomed the idea, and men and women, touched by the gentle spirit of Christmas, join each year in the effort to make Christmas a reality for all. The community Christmas does not supplant the private celebration. It adds zest to the family gatherings and the individual rejoicings. And it brings the joy and the thrill of the day to many to whom it would be unknown otherwise.
The Pomona Bulletin of Christmas Eve provided its readers a brief history of the origin of the community Christmas tree, observing that it began with a 1912 dinner among New York City artists, with one of them, newly returned from study in Germany, “enthusiastic over the community festivals there” while it was added that “the custom has existed in Germany for many years, [and] is in fact an old German tradition.” It was noted that, since the Big Apple event was launched, “the custom has spread to hundreds of cities, towns and villages, which have adapted the idea to their particular needs and circumstances and plan to make it a permanent establishment.”
The same day’s Los Angeles Tribune reported on two other regional communities having these events, including a second one in the coastal city of Santa Monica with it mentioned that “a great tree has been erected in Seventh street park” and which “will be beautifully decorated and surmounted with a star of holly.” A mid-afternoon celebration was to include choral and band music, including by a state school for boys and a quartet of local women.
The paper, under the headline of “Hollywood Tree for Poor of L.A.,” reported that the neighborhood’s first such event was held at the “Chautauqua grounds” at the corner of Hollywood Boulevard and Cherokee Avenue, though it was noted that “instead of despoiling the tinseled majestic pine of its beneficent burden, the merrymakers will hang gifts upon it.” The account reported that, in addition to clergy and lay speakers as well as solo and ensemble singing at the event,
Then armed with a list of names and addresses of worthy Los Angeles people in need of Christmas cheer, the committee [headed by major developer Charles E. Toberman] in charge of the distribution of the gifts stored in the quarters of the Hollywood board of trade will make it rounds in automobiles provided by Hollywood business men.
Weather did cause some trouble with some of the outdoor celebrations, though rain was certainly welcomed by farmers, growers and ranchers in the region. The Christmas Day edition of the Times cited a wire report from Ontario in the Inland Empire, where precipitation made orange growers happy that possible frost damage would be preempted. It was noted, however, that “rain last night halted the community Christmas tree exercises, to have been held today at City Hall Park, and today the gaily-decked fifty-foot tree, erected and trimmed yesterday, was laid low by the stiff breeze which accompanied the rain.” It was concluded that “the committee in charge of the Christmas tree event will distribute gifts to the poor tomorrow, however.”
In San Pedro, the News-Pilot also of the Yuletide holiday, it was reported that damage from the storm was light, though winds whipped up to speeds of 50 miles per hour and it was recorded that they “played havoc with the community Christmas tree in the plaza” and “the tree was stripped of decorations and its electric lights were broken.” Given the cost of strings of lights in those days, that was no small expense.
Speaking of electric Christmas tree lights and their prices, we’re going to pivot now to new posts under the “Evolution of Christmas” banner and look at how these decorative items came to popularity in greater Los Angeles at the same time that community Christmas tree celebrations rose to prominence.
Look for these over the next couple of days and please consider joining us at the Homestead’s Holiday Open House this Sunday the 7th from Noon to 4 p.m., where you can see the City of Industry’s community tree, as well as 1920s-era lights displayed in La Casa Nueva (and a reproduction 1870s trimmed tree, with candles, in the Workman House.)
Along with reading the evolution of the community Christmas tree, I was triggered to reflect on and check into how tree lighting has changed over the past two centuries and beyond.
Historically, the earliest Christmas trees were illuminated with candles – hence the ever-present bucket of water kept nearby for safety. By the late 19th or early 20th centuries, electric light bulbs replaced candles, and wired string bulbs became the standard for nearly half a century.
Beginning around 1950, miniature string lights dominated for the next several decades. Then, coinciding with the arrival of the 21st century and the rise of the internet era, LED lights began appearing on Christmas trees. Of course, we all remember the first generation of LEDs: cold, dazzling, and rather unappealing. Fortunately, over the last ten years, LED technology has improved dramatically, giving us warmer, brighter, and far more beautiful tree lights.
Most recently, solar-powered LED string lights have emerged, offering energy savings, easy power connection, and vivid illumination. I feel fortunate to witness their latest innovation and progress.