We three kings of Orient are Bearing gifts we traverse afar, Field and fountain, moor and mountain Following yonder star. O star of wonder, star of night Star with royal beauty bright, Westward leading, still proceeding Guide us to thy perfect light.

Before 1900 electrically lighting a Christmas tree was practically unheard of. Most families did not light their trees at all, while a few in the larger cities used candles or glass candle cups (also called Fairy Lights). A brightly painted red bucket of sand (or sometimes water) was always kept by the tree for the inevitable fire emergency, and many candlelit trees also sported a "Christmas rug" under the tree, (the forerunner of today's tree skirt), to keep wax drippings off of the floor. Even with the prosperity of the Roaring Twenties, lighting a Christmas tree, whether electrically or with candles, was not truly common. The lighting tradition grew in the 20s and 30s, it would not actually be until the years after World War II that a lighted Christmas tree in homes would be truly universal.