The history of Christmas trees and decorations goes back to the symbolic use of evergreens in ancient Egypt and Rome. Early Romans marked the solstice by decorating their homes and temples with evergreen boughs. Much later on, Europeans brought the German tradition of candlelit Christmas trees to America in the 1800s. By the 1890s, Christmas ornaments came to the US, and the Christmas tree’s popularity rose. By the early 20th century, Americans decorated their Christmas trees with homemade ornaments.