Gradually, Western Christmas elements started seeping into Russia — mostly from Germany, Russia’s principal port of call for Western culture. Some traditions, like the Christmas tree, took a while to catch on. Pine trees were, at the time, apparently considered a sign of death in Russia, and were not to be brought into one’s home.
In 1817, Tsar Nicholas I’s wife, a Prussian princess, brought a tree into her private quarters, death be damned. In the 1820s, there were gifts in the palace for the royal — and also impoverished — children. The presents were originally brought by St. Nicholas, but, by the late 19th century, came from Russian fairytale patriarch Father Frost.
