Good morning! It’s Christmas Eve. And off to Indiana Carmen, Weegee, and I go! But before we do, let me share some words of encouragement regarding that glorious ole Christmas tree. The tree and Christmas Eve. The Christmas tree scene from Charlie Brown’s Christmas was one of my favorite scenes. Take a look:
History of the Christmas Tree
What is the history and symbolism of the Christmas tree? Let’s take a look.
It had its start some say in paganism. The focus was on the evergreen branches being hung in homes to represent life over death. This also represented a green and fruitful harvest by being hung in the homes over doors and windows. Some even say they were used to keep evil (spirits) and sickness away.
The Tree and Martin Luther?
Most blame the Germans, from the 1600s, for the tradition of the Christmas tree. It is believed that Martin Luther saw stars glistening through the branches of an evergreen while walking home one evening. And while working on a sermon he wanted to capture the moment. So he cut an evergreen down, brought it in the home, and then wired candles to it.
With this being a strong German tradition, when they migrated to the Americas, they brought that tradition with them. But the Puritans weren’t having it. Remember “Santa Clause is Coming to Town?” And remember the Burgermeister Meisterburger? Check out these scenes:
No wonder Christmas was against the law, haha. Well, turns out that wasn’t so far from the truth. In 1659, the General Court of Massachusetts enacted a law making any observance of December 25 (other than a church service) a penal offense. People were fined for hanging decorations. 😲
The Tree – Fit For a Queen
It wasn’t until the 1800s that Queen Victoria and her German Prince, Albert, who were very popular, made a fashionable statement with the Christmas tree. It was then that it caught on in America.
Americans did their version with homemade ornaments. If you are old like me, you remember making the strings of popcorn with a needle and thread to decorate the tree, along with paper snowflakes and silver tinsel, ceramic ornaments, the oversized bulb strands, and the big star on top. As a pre-teen, I remember my grandparent’s aluminum artificial tree with the rotating light wheel. I thought my grandparents were really hip! And they were by the way!
The tree and Christmas eve? The modern symbolism? The Fir (Christmas tree) represents the tree of life.
John 3:16 NKJV
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
The lights? They represent the light of Christ.
John 8:12 EVS
Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
The star? It represents the star of Bethlehem, leading the wise men to the baby Jesus, the fulfillment of prophecy, and the shining hope for mankind.
Matthew 2:2, 10 niv
2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.
Jesus is the Light of the World, everlasting life, our shining star! Use this song to reflect for a moment:
Challenge of the Day:
As we anticipate tomorrow, a great day of celebration in that God came down from the heavens to be among us, to be with us, to demonstrate His love for us, let us prepare our hearts, our focus, our walking around life among family and others, so that we can fully receive and comprehend the depth, the width, and the breadth, the fullness of His gift of everlasting life. So be it!
