In Germany, the first Christmas Trees were decorated with edible things, such as gingerbread and gold covered apples.
Then glass makers made special small ornaments similar to some of the decorations used today. In 1605 an unknown German wrote: "At Christmas they set up fir trees in the parlours of Strasbourg and hang thereon roses cut out of many-colored paper, apples, wafers, gold foil, sweets, etc."
At first, a figure of the Baby Jesus was put on the top of the tree. Over time it changed to an angel/fairy that told the shepherds about Jesus, or a star like the Wise Men saw.
The first Christmas Tree in the UK might well have been set-up by Queen Charlotte, the German wife of King George III. In 1800 she had a tree set-up at the Queen’s Lodge in Windsor for a children's party for rich and noble families. Soon having a tree had become popular amongst some rich families.
Source: https://www.whychristmas.com/customs/trees.shtml
