Christmas trees with tinsel glistened as they reflected candlelight. Through the years, silver was swapped for other less-expensive metals like copper, tin, aluminum and lead, according to the BBC.

Advances in metalworking allowed manufacturers to produce tinsel from cheaper metals, such as tin and lead. These materials ...

Images of Christmas trees from the mid-19th century, such as those issued by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, who had a strong German connection, have candles and tin decorations, but tinsel is ...