This coin features a traditional star-topped Christmas tree wrapped in fluffy garlands and studded with five peridot Swarovski Element lights.
In the month of December, millions of Canadian homes sparkle with the warmth, light, and colour of Christmas. At the centre of the festive magic presides the Christmas tree—each one unique.
Many ancient cultures are known to have centered various holiday celebrations on a decorated, illuminated, or otherwise significant tree.
In fact, Christmas trees were introduced to Canada by German soldiers in the town of Sorel, Quebec, in the winter of 1781. That year, German forces led by General Friedrich Adolf Riedesel were working alongside the British army to protect Canada from invasion by American revolutionaries. To raise the spirits of soldiers and townspeople alike, General Riedesel and his wife hosted a Christmas party that featured a traditional German Christmas tree decorated with treats, gifts, and candlelight.
Within a century, the practice of decorating a fir tree at Christmas had become widespread among the noble classes of Europe. When England’s Queen Victoria married German Prince Albert in 1840, he introduced the Christmas tree tradition to the British court. From there, the practice was widely popularized among the citizens of England and North America. By the late nineteenth century, a few upper-middle class homes in Canada and the United States, as well as town halls and department stores, had taken up the annual tradition. However, the middle class as a whole eventually embraced the tradition later during the first half of the twentieth century.
Today, watching the tree lights sparkling in windows is one of the great joys of a Canadian Christmas.
Diameter: 38mm
Weight: 31.39g
Material: Silver
Fineness: 0.9999
Obverse: Queen Elizabeth II
Reverse: Christmas Tree
Finish: Proof
Quantity Produced: 15000
Theme(s): Christmas
|