This morning I awoke to a winter wonderland, and looking the again door the snow cowl branches jogged my memory of an article from again in 2008. On the time I did not actually assume the branches within the article appeared like snow, however over time I’ve come to understand that they actually do evoke the reminiscence of snow lined timber. It is actually stunning to me that I consider that article virtually each time we get a very stunning snowfall.
Here is the article:
WHITE WRAPPED SASSAFRAS TREES
Susanna Reppert, TheRosemaryHouse.com
Having grown up with an evergreen
tree yearly at Christmas time, the concept of a sassafras Christmas tree
intriqued me. So after I had an opportunity to
meet with Earlyn Repman of York,
PA who retains this early Christmas
custom alive I simply knew I needed to go see it.
So I loaded the household within the van on the Sunday earlier than Christmas final
yr to go to view the grand wrapped Sassafras tree.
Whereas Ms Repman has different timber in her dwelling, a purple,white and blue tree and a
tree embellished in gingerbread, the principle
characteristic in the home is the 7 foot in
circumference sassafras tree. She feels
that conventional inexperienced timber cannot
evaluate in magnificence
to the twinkle of lights
on the “snow”, glitter of icicles and the openness that lets you
see each decoration all through the tree.
2008 images have been completely different…
Sassafras is the popular tree
due to the form of the tree. She
marks the tree within the early spring earlier than it has any leaves on it and when she
can see the form very effectively after which in late fall she’s going to exit and collect
the tree. Sassafras not solely has a pleasant
full form but in addition supplies the power wanted and it’s pliable to work with
whereas wrapping.
A number of the tree branches are first bolstered and
tied to the trunk with wire as a result of because it dries out it’ll weaken. Then the wrapping begins. The tree is wrapped in strips of white
cotton, not batting as it’s too heavy.
The white lights are wrapped in with the white cotton in order that you don’t
see the wires. On the ten foot excessive, 7
foot spherical tree, the wrapping takes 16-17 hours. This massive tree additionally holds 4,000 outdated leaded
icicles, which she saves from yr to yr and 758 ornaments.
The Nationwide Christmas
Tree Affiliation web site lists a historical past of Christmas
timber. Based on their historical past, within the early 1900’s, over harvesting of
evergreen timber had precipitated their numbers to dwindle significantly.
Conservationists have been involved and magazines started to advertise using an
synthetic “snow” lined tree, consisting of a department of a deciduous
tree that may be
wrapped in cotton.
Ms Repman with certainly one of her timber.
Based on the Nationwide Christmas
Middle in Paradise, Pa.,
early settlers would wrap sassafras timber in cotton batting then embellish
them with ornaments. Actually, you’ll be able to see a cotton wrapped tree on the Nationwide Christmas
Middle (as of 2025, the Middle has moved to Stone Gables Property in Elizabethtown PA).
Earlyn Repman’s mom used a
wrapped Sassafras tree and now Earlyn’s daughters are persevering with the custom
as effectively. A enjoyable concept that may be very sparkly
and the ornaments do hold very straight on the branches and are simply seen
all through the tree. However I need to say
I did miss the odor of the recent reduce
evergreen tree.