On the third Sunday of Advent the joy candle, the only pink one, is lit. Many times it is also referred to as the Shepherd Candle.
In the United States, the Christmas tree became common in the early 19th century. Several cities with German connections lay claim to the first public American Christmas tree: Windsor Locks, Connecticut maintains that the Hessian soldier Hendrick Roddemore, who was captured after the Battle of Bennington, put up a Christmas tree there in 1777, while a POW there. Other claims are made by Easton, Pennsylvania (1816) and Lancaster, Pennsylvania (1821).