12-19-2023 10:48am

The Christmas Tree

Christine Larkin Editor

SKYLARK'S ARTICLE OF THE WEEK - THE CHRISTMAS TREE

Everywhere you look this time of year, there is a Christmas tree decorated with lights and colorful ornaments of all shapes and sizes. From Rockefeller Center to your living room, a Christmas tree symbolizes the season. But what are its origins?

Germany is credited with starting the Christmas tree tradition—as we now know it—by the 16th century when sources record devout Christians bringing decorated trees into their homes. Some built Christmas pyramids of wood and decorated them with evergreens and candles if wood was scarce.

While the trees are traditionally associated with Christian symbolism, their modern use is largely secular. The use of evergreen trees, wreaths, and garlands to symbolize eternal life was a custom of the ancient Egyptians, Chinese, and Hebrews. Tree worship was common among the pagan Europeans and survived their conversion to Christianity in the Scandinavian customs of decorating the house and barn with evergreens at the New Year to scare away the Devil and of setting up a tree for the birds during Christmastime. It survived further in the custom of placing a Yule tree at an entrance or inside the house during the midwinter holidays.

The main prop of a popular medieval play about Adam and Eve was a “paradise tree,” a fir tree hung with apples, that represented the Garden of Eden. The Germans set up a paradise tree in their homes on December 24, the religious feast day of Adam and Eve. They hung wafers on it (symbolizing the eucharistic host, the Christian sign of redemption); in a later tradition the wafers were replaced by cookies of various shapes. Candles, symbolic of Christ as the light of the world, were often added. In the same room was the “Christmas pyramid,” a triangular construction of wood that had shelves to hold Christmas figurines and was decorated with evergreens, candles, and a star. By the 16th century the Christmas pyramid and the paradise tree had merged, becoming the Christmas tree.

The custom was widespread among the German Lutherans by the 18th century, but it was not until the following century that the Christmas tree became a deep-rooted German tradition. Introduced into England in the early 19th century, the Christmas tree was popularized in the mid-19th century by German-born Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria. The Victorian tree was decorated with toys and small gifts, candles, candies, popcorn strings, and fancy cakes hung from the branches by ribbons and by paper chains. Taken to North America by German settlers as early as the 17th century, Christmas trees were the height of fashion by the 19th century. They were also popular in Austria, Switzerland, Poland, and the Netherlands. In China and Japan, Christmas trees, introduced by Western missionaries in the 19th and 20th centuries, were decorated with intricate paper designs.

Blown-glass ornaments were offered for sale in Britain and the United States as early as the 1870s, many produced in small workshops in Germany and Bohemia, which also created decorations made from tinsel, cast lead, beads, pressed paper, and cotton batting. In the United States, F.W. Woolworth was selling $25 million in ornaments annually by 1890, by which time strings of electric tree lights were also available. In the 1930s, artificial trees made of brush bristles were developed in the United States, and the 1950s and ’60s saw the mass production of aluminum and PVC plastic trees. Artificial trees gained significant popularity, particularly in countries where fresh trees were hard to procure. I still get a real tree each Christmas. I love to smell the fresh pine throughout the house.

There are all kinds of trees for Christmas. In the United States and Europe, common species of fresh trees include pines, such as white pine (Pinus strobus), Scotch pine (P. sylvestris), and Virginia pine (P. virginiana); firs, notably balsam fir (Abies balsamea), Fraser fir (A. fraseri), grand fir (A. grandis), noble fir (A. procera), silver fir (A. alba), and white fir (A. concolor); and certain spruces, such as Norway spruce (Picea abies), blue spruce (P. pungens), and white spruce (P. glauca). Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), which is not a true fir, is common as well. Various cypresses and cedars are also used, though these are more commonly seen in evergreen wreaths or other decorations. You have many choices!

No matter what type of tree you have, the Christmas Tree is symbolic of Christmastime. It commemorates an age-old tradition that stands its ground in modern times. I want to wish each of you a beautiful Christmas filled with peace, love, joy, and hope. O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree, how lovely are your branches.

Buon Natale! Merry Christmas!

Peace and Love,

Skylark

At 60 and Beyond, decorating a Christmas Tree can still be a lot of fun for the whole family. Don't forget the star at the top!

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SKYLARK'S PICK OF THE WEEK - THE HOG FARM IN BROOKHAVEN

There's a hang at The Hog Farm this Saturday, December 23 at 4:00pm. It's the end of the season for the farm, and they're celebrating in Christmas style. Get your family and friends together and grab your instruments for this end of the season jam. It should be a lot of fun. Ho, Ho, Ho!!!

For more information, check out www.thehogfarm.org

SKYLARK'S INSPIRATIONAL QUOTE OF THE WEEK

SKYLARK'S PRAYER OF THE WEEK

SKYLARK'S QUESTION OF THE WEEK

What kind of Christmas tree do you have? What do you decorate it with?

Please put your answers at the bottom of the newsletter in the Reply bubble right next to the heart. Thank you. I'd love to hear from you.

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SKYLARK'S SONG OF THE WEEK - ROCKIN' AROUND THE CHRISTMAS TREE by BRENDA LEE

LYRICS

Rockin' around the Christmas tree
At the Christmas party hop
Mistletoe hung where you can see
Every couple tries to stop
Rockin' around the Christmas tree
Let the Christmas spirit ring
Later we'll have some pumpkin pie
And we'll do some caroling

You will get a sentimental feeling when you hear
Voices singing, let's be jolly
Deck the halls with boughs of holly
Rockin' around the Christmas tree
Have a happy holiday
Everyone dancin' merrily
In the new old-fashioned way

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My brand, Skylark Live, consists of a weekly newsletter; Skylark Live Town News, and a monthly vlog; 60 and Beyond with Skylark. I’m still mulling around the idea of monthly in-person chats called The Skylark Sessions. This is a work in progress. They are all designed to inspire and motivate women to thrive in older age through knowledge and self-awareness at 60 and beyond. Andiamo! Let's go!

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