According to tradition, a 7th century monk created the first Christmas tree when he used the triangular shape of the local evergreen trees to illustrate the Holy Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Supposedly, 12th century evergreen trees were hung from ceilings at Christmastime in Central Europe as a symbol of faith. During the 16th century, Martin Luther (leader of the Protestant reformation which birthed the Lutheran Church) reportedly decorated a small tree with candles to tell the story of Christ's birth and how the stars twinkled through the dark night. Before long, trees were decorated with candles in houses all across Germany for Christmastime.

As for decorations, the wealthy, made tinsel from thin strands of real silver and hung it on the tree along with candles and small ornaments. Early trees were decorated with small gifts, cookies, fruit and candy tied onto the branches. The wealthy made elegant hand made silk decorations such as quilted snowflakes and stars, lace baskets and beaded garlands for their trees. Those who could afford it made paper ornaments and cornucopia for their trees.

Queen Victoria and her German husband Prince Albert made Christmas trees fashionable and popular in England during her reign. With the advent of the machine age of in the early 1900's, paper, glass and metal ornaments were manufactured for sale to the public. When Edison's inventions helped to make electricity more accessible fully wired homes became the norm. Tree candles were gradually replaced with electric lights strung together. The electric lights of the 1940's and 1950's were 1/2" - 1" long.

Today, lights can be as short as 1/8".  Manufacturers now create or import elaborate Christmas ornaments, garlands, and tinsel consistent with the popular taste of the times.

While plastic ornaments  (i.e. shatterproof) are becoming more popular, there is nothing like the look or feel of glass ornaments. If authenticity matters to you, grab as many as you can. I fear one day, everything connected to Christmas will be fake. 

As for how many ornaments on a tree are enough, it depends on your personal taste. Some people think too much is better than not enough, while others prefer a more Spartan look. Old World Christmas suggests six ornaments for each foot of tree height. So, a five-foot tree would have 30 ornaments.  Personally, I look at the tree as a four-sided project. Each side should have an equal number of ornaments, and if you run short, put fewer on the side of the tree in front of the wall.

Here are a few websites with calculators or other advice on how many ornaments it will take to achieve the look you want.  For example: 

Any Calculator: https://www.anycalculator.com/ornamentcalculator.html

Christmas Tree Ornament Calculator: http://www.anycalculator.com/ornamentcalculator.html

Laser Christmas Lights.com: https://laserchristmaslightsonline.com/ornamentation-guide-optimal-number-of-ornaments-for-your-tree/

Light Bulb Surplus.com: https://lightbulbsurplus.com/how-many-ornaments-do-i-need-for-my-christmas-tree/

Martha Stewart.com: https://www.marthastewart.com/best-time-to-buy-real-christmas-tree-11839030

Old World.com: https://oldworldchristmas.com/blogs/the-yule-blog/christmas-math-how-many-ornaments-should-go-on-my-tree 

St. NIcks.com: https://www.st-nicks.com/post/how-many-ornaments-do-you-need-for-your-christmas-tree

Santaville.com: https://www.santaville.com/blogs/stories-of-christmas/calculate-total-number-of-ornaments-on-christmas-tree

Thanks for visiting my I Love Christmas.com holiday decorating blog. Please use the Contact Form to request permission to reprint or quote from this article. For more Christmas decorating ideas visit my Christmas blog: https://www.i-love-christmas.com/Christmas-Decorating-Ideas . Get beautiful, handmade glass ornaments, garlands, metal ornament trees, ornament hooks, tabletop Christmas trees, photo ornaments and other holiday decorations at I Love Christmas! https://www.i-love-christmas.com . Please note that I assume no liability for the use or misuse of these instructions or those provided by the manufacturer.