O Christmas Tree

By Raquel Soto
    
While I was writing this article, it was amazing to see how early people were starting to shop for Christmas presents. My husband even asked me what I wanted for Christmas months in advance! I’m still working on my list.

I was thinking about Christmas in October of all things. I was on a business trip in London and they have a fabulous store called Harrods. By the time I got there in mid-October, they had their Christmas floor flowing in a beautiful array of colors. Ornaments from small to large, from pretty to down right corny could be found. It was quite lovely. I couldn’t resist buying a few ornaments that just yelled out: I’m from Britain! I even bought one for myself made of magnificent crushed, red velvet in the shape of a teapot.

I don’t normally put a tree up at Christmas. Not for any specific reason except that I’m too lazy to do it. One year, when I still hadn’t gotten around to it, my husband put up lights all over the apartment. At night, it looked like we were standing in the midst of the universe. He had taken a few of the prettiest ornaments we had and hung them around on the windows where they could be easily seen. It was so spectacular, that it’s been our tradition for quite a few years; until this year.

Now, my two young children are at the age where they might like a Christmas tree. But this brought up a dilemma. What does the tree really signify? Is it like Halloween, where everything associated with it is from the occult? Did it start in the occult and truly transformed into something that is good?

I researched the traditions, and found some interesting answers.

When I first read that the earliest indication of a holiday tree dated back to the Druids, my heart sank. You see, the Druids worshipped nature and I worship the One Who created it. Druids viewed evergreens as a manifestation of deity because they didn’t die when other plants seemed to. So they came to represent everlasting life and hope for the return of spring. They also decorated their trees with symbols of prosperity (like fruit or coins). Okay, this can’t be good.

Then, we come to the Saxons, a Germanic pagan tribe. They were the first ones to put lights in the trees in the form of candles.

So how did it go from pagan to Christian? Did it really?

One legend has it that Saint Boniface (an English monk) came upon a group of pagans who were about to sacrifice a child around an oak tree. He stopped it by flattening the tree with one blow from his fists. A small fir sprang up in its place. Saint Boniface told the pagans it was the Tree of Life and represented the life of Christ.

Another legend attributes the candles on the tree to Martin Luther. The legend goes that he was taking a walk in the woods one Christmas Eve night and was so taken back by the beauty of the lights in the sky that he cut down a small tree, took it home, and put candles on its branches to represent the stars.

The tradition from Germany to bring in the decorated trees traveled to Europe into England through the way of marriage. When Queen Victoria married Prince Albert, Prince Albert brought in a tree and had it decorated. It was so admired that everyone wanted to do it.

Another tradition was created by adding an angel. An angel was placed on the top of the tree to represent the host of angels or the Star of Bethlehem from the Nativity story.

When we read Jeremiah 10:1-5, it appears that we are being told not to have a tree. However, when you study it out carefully, the real issue is the explicit forbidden practice of idol worship. The modern way we use the tree can’t be directly linked to paganism. The first use of the Christmas tree as a Christian symbol was back in the 16th century.

Unlike Halloween, in which every act is an extension of paganism (trick or treating is Druid; Jack-O-Lanterns are an Irish tradition which involves a man who couldn’t get into heaven or hell; bobbing for apples is a game of divination in honor of Ponoma, the goddess of the harvest), the Christmas tree has been reinvented to reflect the story of the Nativity.

The evergreen tells us of the ever-lasting life of Jesus. The lights represent the stars in the sky pointing the way to the Messiah. The angel on top reminds us of the host of angels that to this day sing Holy Holy Holy is the Lord Almighty. It is used to remind us that God is with us.

I’m frankly still not sure about the tree, but I do believe it’s an opportunity to share the Gospel with my children that will stay with them all their lives. So that every time they see an evergreen, they will think of the everlasting life of Jesus. So that every time they look up to the stars, they would know how detailed and interesting God is that He would use even the stars in the sky to show us the way. So that every time they see an angel ornament, they will remember that they still sing out Holy Holy Holy is the Lord Almighty.

Perhaps, then it will be worth the effort of finally putting it up.

About the Author:  Raquel Soto is the Founder of Lydia’s Legacy Ministries, an outreach dedicated to helping women (and men) live their life more abundantly, until it overflows. She is the author of 5 books: Addicted to Love, More than Eternal: Being Born Again, The Foundation of Your Calling; and Obtaining the Miraculous. For free excerpts of her latest book, The 1 Minute Guide to Health, Wealth, and Happiness: Wisdom from the Book of Proverbs, please visit her site at www.acts1614.org.

{mos_fb_discuss:30}