Evergreens have been a part of mid-winter festivals long before Christmas, as they stayed green and alive when other plants seemed dead they came to represent everlasting life and hope for the return of spring. Primitive European tribes hung evergreens above their doors to offer the wandering winter spirits shelter within their homes in hope of receiving good fortune and good health in return. The Romans decorated their homes with them at the Festival of Saturnalia and at the Kalends of January, their New Year, they exchanged evergreen branches with friends as a sign of good luck. The Druids viewed...