Liszt completed Weihnachtsbaum (Christmas Tree), a collection of twelve short piano pieces, in 1876. Two years earlier he laid out its concept in a letter to Carolyne zu Sayn-Wittgenstein as follows: ''These will not be learned or ostentatious works, but simple reflections of my youthful emotions which remain indestructible across the trials of the years.'' Weihnachtsbaum belongs among the handful of compositions by Liszt that turn towards the world of children and, at least in part, reflect their emotions.
Five pieces of the collection are arrangements of Christmas carols of various origins. The remaining character pieces were written using themes by the composer himself. Liszt dedicated Weihnachtsbaum to his eldest grandchild Daniela von Bülow, whose correspondence with Liszt suggests an especially close relationship. The ceremonial first performance took place at Christmas of the same year: Daniela visited her grandfather in Rome, who played the gift he had intended for her.