Hometown Holidays: Queen Charlotte

  We love Christmas and Hanukkah picture books and I was thrilled to find The Queen and the First Christmas Tree pop up in a fellow honeschooler's IG post. We live in The Queen City, Charlotte, NC, named after Queen Charlotte.  I did not know much about her, other than she was a Princess from Mecklenburg, which is the namesake of our county, and married to King George III.

 This was a delightful read with beautiful pictures. The story begins with the young Princess Sophia Charlotte, who loved her garden more than fancy balls and frocks. Happily, when she left her family and homeland to marry she found King George felt the same way and he gave her a cottage and land at Kew Gardens. She was also devoted to children - her own fifteen and all the children of England. She founded many orphanages and The Queen Charlotte Maternity Hospital. As the title implies, Charlotte also transforms the traditional yew branch from Germany into the Christmas tree we now know.  

 I'm so delighted to know more about the woman our city is named for!

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