It's time to light up your annual reports

IT'S the most wonderful time of the year, with Christmas trees decorated in red, green and gold, and adorned with thousands of warm twinkling lights. It's difficult to imagine December without Christmas trees, but how did the tradition start?

The early Europeans decorated their homes with branches of evergreen trees to bring in some colour to help stave off the drab and cold winters. This evolved into the Christmas tree during the 16th century when Christians in Germany brought evergreen trees into their homes and decorated them with gingerbread, nuts and apples.

Christmas trees only started gaining popularity in the US in the mid-19th century. Perhaps the most famous Christmas tree in the world can be found each year at the Rockefeller Center in New York City…