A tree-topper or treetopper is a decorative ornament placed on the top (or "crown") of a

Christmas tree A Christmas tree is a decorated tree, usually an evergreen pinophyta, conifer, such as a spruce, pine or fir, associated with the celebration of Christmas. It may also consist of an artificial tree of similar appearance. The custom was deve ...

or Chrismon tree. Tree-toppers come in many forms, with the most common being a

star A star is a luminous spheroid of plasma (physics), plasma held together by Self-gravitation, self-gravity. The List of nearest stars and brown dwarfs, nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked eye at night sk ...

(representing the Star of Bethlehem) or an

angel An angel is a spiritual (without a physical body), heavenly, or supernatural being, usually humanoid with bird-like wings, often depicted as a messenger or intermediary between God (the transcendent) and humanity (the profane) in variou ...

(representing the Angel Gabriel), both from the Nativity. Additional forms range from a

Christian cross The Christian cross, seen as representing the crucifixion of Jesus, is a religious symbol, symbol of Christianity. It is related to the crucifix, a cross that includes a ''corpus'' (a representation of Jesus' body, usually three-dimensional) a ...

, white dove, paper rosette, ribbon bow, Father Christmas or

Santa Claus Santa Claus (also known as Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle or Santa) is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring gifts during the late evening and overnight hours on Chris ...

. Tree-toppers may be made of a wide range of materials. Modern plastic tree-toppers are often electric and, once connected with the tree's lights, offer a gentle glow. Following

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, various symbols of

Christmastide Christmastide, also known as Christide, is a season of the liturgical year in most Christianity, Christian churches. For the Catholic Church, Lutheran Church, Anglican Church, Methodist Church and some Orthodox Churches, Christmastide begins ...

, such as stars, were introduced as electrified tree-toppers. The tradition of using a symbol representing the Star of Bethlehem as a tree-topper, however, dates as early as the 1840s.

Origin and use

The use of a Christmas angel as a tree-topper represents the angel

Gabriel In the Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam), Gabriel ( ) is an archangel with the power to announce God's will to mankind, as the messenger of God. He is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament and the Quran. Many Chris ...

from the

Nativity of Jesus The Nativity or birth of Jesus Christ is found in the biblical gospels of Gospel of Matthew, Matthew and Gospel of Luke, Luke. The two accounts agree that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, Palestine, in Herodian kingdom, Roman-controlled Judea, th ...

: Use of a star represents the Star of Bethlehem: During the 1870s, in conjunction with the growing power of the British Empire, the

Union Jack The Union Jack or Union Flag is the ''de facto'' national flag of the United Kingdom. The Union Jack was also used as the official flag of several British colonies and dominions before they adopted their own national flags. It is sometimes a ...

became another popular tree-topper among some persons.

Popular culture

Hans Christian Andersen's 1844 short story, " The Fir-Tree", describes the decoration of a Christmas tree in

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

, including its topper: The use of a tree-topper is also depicted in Christmas songs, with lines such as " Först en stjärna utav gull" and " So hang a shining star upon the highest bough".

Gallery

File:Topper Angel.jpg, Post-War NOMA plastic, electrified angel tree-topper File:Božić na Jadranu 003.jpg, Christmas star in Croatia File:Treetopper.JPG, Homemade Christmas angel File:Victoria and Albert Christmas Tree.png, "That pretty German toy, a Christmas tree" (1848), ''

The Illustrated London News ''The Illustrated London News'', founded by Herbert Ingram and first published on Saturday 14 May 1842, was the world's first illustrated weekly news magazine. The magazine was published weekly for most of its existence, switched to a less freq ...

References

External links

{{Christmas trees Christmas decorations Topper

Origin and use

Popular culture

Gallery

See also

References

External links