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WHITE WRAPPED SASSAFRAS TREES
Susanna Reppert, TheRosemaryHouse.com
Having grown up with an evergreen tree every year at Christmas time, the idea of a sassafras Christmas tree intriqued me. So when I had a chance to meet with Earlyn Repman of York, PA who keeps this early Christmas tradition alive I just knew I had to go see it. So I loaded the family in the van on the Sunday before Christmas last year to go to view the grand wrapped Sassafras tree.
While Ms Repman has other trees in her home, a red,white and blue tree and a tree decorated in gingerbread, the main feature in the house is the 7 foot in circumference sassafras tree. She feels that traditional green trees can't compare in beauty to the twinkle of lights on the "snow", glitter of icicles and the openness that allows you to see every ornament throughout the tree.
2008 photos were different...
Sassafras is the preferred tree because of the shape of the tree. She marks the tree in the early spring before it has any leaves on it and when she can see the shape very well and then in late fall she will go out and gather the tree. Sassafras not only has a nice full shape but also provides the strength needed and it is pliable to work with while wrapping.
Some of the tree branches are first reinforced and tied to the trunk with wire because as it dries out it will weaken. Then the wrapping begins. The tree is wrapped in strips of white cotton, not batting as it is too heavy. The white lights are wrapped in with the white cotton so that you do not see the wires. On the 10 foot high, 7 foot round tree, the wrapping takes 16-17 hours. This large tree also holds 4,000 old leaded icicles, which she saves from year to year and 758 ornaments.
The National Christmas Tree Association website lists a history of Christmas trees. According to their history, in the early 1900's, over harvesting of evergreen trees had caused their numbers to dwindle considerably. Conservationists were concerned and magazines began to promote the use of an artificial "snow" covered tree, consisting of a branch of a deciduous tree that would be wrapped in cotton.
Ms Repman with one of her trees.
According to the National Christmas Center in Paradise, Pa., early settlers would wrap sassafras trees in cotton batting then decorate them with ornaments. In fact, you can see a cotton wrapped tree at the National Christmas Center (as of 2025, the Center has moved to Stone Gables Estate in Elizabethtown PA).
Earlyn Repman’s mother used a wrapped Sassafras tree and now Earlyn’s daughters are continuing the tradition as well. A fun idea that is very sparkly and the ornaments do hang very straight on the branches and are easily seen throughout the tree. But I must say I did miss the smell of the fresh cut evergreen tree.
