Real Candles on the Tannenbaum? Jawohl!

Many (if not most) northern Europeans use real candles on their Christmas trees because they give
much nicer cozier light. 

There are a few things that make this less dangerous than it appears. The most important is that the tree traditionally is not set up until Christmas Eve.  The latest that it remains standing is 12 days, after January 6 (the 12th night).   That means that the tree will be much more moist than if it had been standing around for weeks before Christmas. 

Also, German homes are not heated as hot as US homes, on average (that's why Germans walk around with sweaters in winter, which would be unbearably hot in many US homes). This keeps the tree fresher. 

The tree is lit at special times, not all the time. Very often, one set of smallish Christmas tree candles (about the size of an adult middle finger) will last the entire season.    -- Danke, Eckhard