It’s not popularly known that artificial Christmas trees actually started in the Middle Ages in Germany. It wasn’t until the 19th and 20th centuries that they became popular in other countries with the invention of new and imaginative trees coming into being. It started with feathers then animal bristles, aluminum, plastic then optic fibers. Discover the six stages in the evolution of the artificial Christmas tree: 1. Lightstock – the Poor Man’s Christmas Tree! In the Middle Ages woodcarvers in Germany fashioned the first lightstock. A pyramid-shaped stand made from 2-5 wooden rods and 3 shelves holding candles and Christmas related figurines. Sometime later they attached a pinwheel to the…