Bulletin of Remarkable Trees Vol. 1 No. 5
O' Christmas greens, O' Christmas greens, how lovely are your branches (and berries. and boughs.)
I’ve always loved Christmastime: the overall coziness of the season, the smell of evergreen boughs and baking cookies, spending time with family. And, it turns out I wasn’t the first Kammerer to have a fascination with this wondrous time of year.
Throughout my grandfather’s journals are scattered little line drawings: illustrations of planting layouts, centerpiece ideas, and, most relevant to us right now, Christmas decorations. My grandfather was not only a talented landscape designer, possessor of a much greener thumb than I could ever hope to have, but also a gifted artist (according to my dad.) Although the drawings in his journal are just sketches, they convey plenty of Christmas spirit! This Christmastime, especially in 2020, with the separation and isolation we’re all facing due to the pandemic, it’s been nice to visit with my family in this way, reading about Christmastime’s past.
Christmas Decorations Throughout the 1940s
While my grandfather’s Christmas decorating generally seemed to happen later in the season than when I prefer to put up decorations (I’m a proud member of the ‘day after Halloween is Christmas’ hive), that shortened time doesn’t seem to have lessened his holiday enthusiasm. Every year, he wrote about the various evergreen decorations, for both inside and outdoors, that he was diagramming.
The first instance of written decoration planning I happened across for this decade came in the entry for December 12th, 1940, with a simple mention: “began working on Christmas decorating ideas this eve.”
A week later, he was just finishing up their decorations: “Finished the ‘swag’ of Chamaecyparis pisifera branches for the front doorway this afternoon + brought it home - also a wreath for the garage door.”
Chamaecyparis pisifera, or Sawara Cypress, is a false Cypress tree native to Japan. The branches of this tree were one of the most common inclusions in his Christmas decorations.
There were several evergreens, berries, and forest miscellany that he continually returned to when crafting Christmas greens. He revisited the Sawara Cypress for outdoor wreaths in 1941 as well:
“Spent the entire afternoon finishing our outside Christmas decorations - put up a swag of Sawara Cypress around the front door and strung Christmas lights thru it. Hung a wreath on the garage door + set up the Christmas tree inside - decorated tree in evening.”
In 1946 the wreath he created was embellished with seasonal trinkets:
“Made and put up swag on front door (*Chamaecyparis pisifera* branches for background with a large red ribbon bow above a toy drum and red horn.) Finished decorating yew wreath for over the mantel - used Sumac seedheads, Mahonia leaves, white pine cones and Japanese Barberry fruits.”
Yew was another favorite of his for adorning doors and mantles, here with several other varieties of winter plant material.
He included a small sketch of the Christmas decorations on and around the fireplace in 1946:
I was actually able to find a photograph that shows (most) of the mantle decorations, and they turned out pretty true to the design:
It wasn’t only Riverby that my grandfather was focused on sprucing up for the holiday - in his 1947 journal, he describes himself and another Arboretum employee, Walter Eickhorst, running around Chicagoland seeking out wide red ribbon to decorate the entrance to the Administration building at the Arboretum.
During the later years of the decade, my grandfather described crafting wreaths, sprays, and all manner of decorative greens for his friends and colleagues. The typical greens he gathered and gave out (like a Christmas-greenery Santa Claus) consisted of various Pine or Yew branches. A number of these displays were ‘cemetery sprays’ to honor lost loved ones during the holiday. One entry for December 16th of 1949 details one such arrangement he made for Mrs. Jean Cudahy to take to Lake Forest, IL consisting of Sawara Cypress, Austrian Pine, Mahonia (Oregon grape holly), and various Pine cones. Another he created for some neighbors consisted of False Cypress, Mahonia, Rose Hips, and Sumac fruit clusters.
Christmas Trees: The Main Event
While the species grandpa Kammerer selected for Riverby’s indoor Christmas tree changed year to year, all of them, at least through the 1940s, came from the Arboretum grounds. He came up with amazingly effective descriptions for some of these Christmas trees, while others I was able to find photos of:
1941 - “a shapely 8ft Blue spruce from the arboretum turned out remarkably well. Omission of the usual tinfoil icicles with a concentrated abundance of ornaments creating an old fashioned effect.”
1944 - Norway Spruce
1945 - “Selected Christmas tree - a dense Colorado Spruce.” (Colorado Spruce trees are also known as Blue Spruce)
1946 - Colorado Spruce
1947 - “Brought home Christmas tree this eve - a ~shapely~ Blue Spruce.”
1948 - “Christmas trees were at the Arboretum today - selected one.” He failed to mention the specific kind of tree he chose but described it as “a beauty!”
You’ve Got Mail: Christmas Cards
For most years in the 1940s, my grandfather designed and sent for Christmas cards to mail out to their family and friends. I was able to find two examples: one showing the bay window at the back of Riverby filled with decorative glass and ivy:
And the other featuring a spray of flowers:
Both examples feature red ink along the scalloped edges and a beautifully embossed border. Although I don’t know if he drew the small candle illustrations, I love the festive color they add to each card.
“Grow Your Own Christmas Decorations”
To wrap up, I thought I would share V. 22 No. 01 of the Morton Arboretum’s ‘Bulletin of Popular Information’ in which my grandfather details the trees and shrubs he valued for Christmastime greenery. Here are some highlights; start planning and planting to supply your own Christmas greens next year!
Japanese Yew (Taxus cuspidata): the dark green color made them a frequent inclusion for my grandfather’s mantle decorations.
Sawara Cypress (Chamaecyparis pisifera): as I mentioned above, Sawara Cypress branches were a mainstay of holiday decorations in the Kammerer household. In the ‘Bulletin,’ my grandfather cites “bright green plumes of Arborvitae-like foliage” as the reason for this tree’s decorating versatility.
White Pine (Pinus strobus): this tree produces feathery light green needles, which, according to my grandfather, “unlimber to their characteristic luxuriance [once indoors] which imparts an airy dignity wherever used.”
Hemlock (Tsuga canadensis): described as “our most graceful North American conifer,” my grandfather appreciated this tree’s texture for use in table decorating.
Fragrance-wise, both Juniper and Cannart (Eastern) Red Cedar (]uniperus virginiana canaertii) are singled out for their impressive “Christmasy pungence.”
For berries and contrast to conifer branches, he recommends Oregon grape holly (Mahonia aquifolium), which provides a holly-like appearance but is better suited to the climate of Chicagoland. Additionally, Common Winterberry (Ilex verticillata) and Bayberry (Myrica pensylvanica) are just a few of the options he lists to lend color and interest to any display.
Lastly, he mentions the “Christmas requisite” cones, of which there are endless shapes and sizes. My grandfather must have been a particular fan of pine cones; in almost every journal I’ve read through, various pine cones play a prominent role in Christmastime decorations.
What are some of the evergreens, branches, and berries that you and your family typically use to festoon a mantle or decorate your front door? Let me know in the comments!
Happy holidays from my family to yours, and thank you so much for exploring with me these past few months! I’m so looking forward to what’s in store for 2021, and you can certainly expect more tree deep dives, more Chicagoland and Arboretum history, and a few ventures far beyond the Midwest.
It occurred to me that I hadn’t included a photo of my grandpa in any previous issues, so here’s an appropriately wintery portrait to share:
Have a very safe and happy new year, and see you in 2021!
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