WE OWE our Christmas tree to a famous love affair; the passion of Queen Victoria for her German husband, Prince Albert. Together, the two dreamed up a new vision of solid family life which would revolutionise the way their subjects lived and which affects us still today.

And one of their first targets for a revamp was Christmas which, before Victoria, was a wild affair which dated back to pagan times.

Stern Victoria, a family woman through and through, disapproved of this uncontrolled revelry. So she and Prince Albert devised a celebration more in keeping with the strict values and morals they wished their society to follow... though still keeping some of the tradition.

Greenery, for instance, has been brought into our homes since pagan times.

Victorians adopted them with a vengeance. As well as swags and wreaths, they embraced the idea of Christmas trees with enthusiasm. This was a tradition brought from Albert's homeland of Germany, where trees were once worshipped.

When Christianity came along the ancient Germans were still anxious not to offend the tree spirits, and so they brought them into their homes for the celebrations.

Victoria loved Christmas trees, especially bedecked with candles, which were first introduced in the 17th Century to symbolise the starlit sky on the night of the nativity; before that, they were hung with paper roses and apples to honour Christ's mother the Virgin Mary.

Christmas trees were a Royal favourite for many years, before the population adopted them.

The royal children had one, and so did the ladies in waiting; Victoria wrote a card for each member of the Royal Household to hang on yet another.