Send us a textEight out of ten people in our (scientifically absolutely unreliable) survey with only one question "What is it that you could never imagine Christmas without?", named it.You can live with less or different Christmas dishes, fewer present are not a issue if the company is a match. And even spending the festive time away from your family can have its hidden charm (and be a blessing in disguise for both sides).But no Christmas tree? However symbolic (a twig, a paper cut-out or a medley of dry sticks would do), the Weihnachtsbaum is as much as part of our "collective Christmas psyche" as Weihnachtsmann and festive illumination.But when did that tradition reach Berlin? And what happened when, once hooked on the new symbolic, the city (or at least half of it) faced a Christmas-tree shortage? Today we are travelling back in time to 1959/1960. To West Berlin. Via Thuringia. Recommended links:Stadtmuseum Berlin Knoblauch-Haus 360° experienceHistory Flakes Podcast Episode about Friedrich the GreatBerliner Pyramide photo by Michael Setzpfand on Knoblauchhaus - Stadtmuseum Berlin page.Support the showRead fascinating stories from Berlin's past and present, and listen to all the episodes from Season 1 and 2 of the podcast on Substack: theberlincompanion.com Enjoy Berlin audio-tours created by yours truly: download Berlin Companion Audio-Walks App (free access code for all annual Substack blog supporters).You can also find me at:Bluesky: @berlincompanion.bsky.social Twitter: @kreuzbergedInstagram: The Berlin CompanionThreads: theberlincompanionAnd if you would like to become a regular subscriber to this show and help me spend more time digging in my vast archives, chasing new stories and turning these into shiny new episodes - support the podcast by buying me a coffee or by subscribing to Berlin Companion at Substack (both links below):Buy Me a Coffee (or a Beer)Berlin Companion at SubstackMusic for the show by ...