Holiday Evergreens Forever Stamps, 2010 Booklet – Holiday Cards and Letters

Centuries ago, pagans carried evergreens into their homes during Winter festivals to represent their idols. Apples and other fruit were placed on branches as offerings to the tree. Some historians believe the modern custom of placing gifts beneath the Christmas tree began with this practice.

In 1931, workers constructing New York City’s Rockefeller Center decorated a small tree with “strings of cranberries, garlands of paper, and even a few tin cans” on Christmas Eve. A tree has been erected in Rockefeller Center every year since, and has become the city’s unofficial signal that the holiday season has begun.