I love Christmas trees! I am not alone nor am I the first to feel this way. Christmas Trees have a long and interesting history. Here are some of the highlights.

The evergreen tree was an ancient symbol of life during the cold of winter. Romans decorated their houses with evergreen branches during the New Year. Ancient inhabitants of northern Europe cut evergreen trees and planted them in boxes inside their houses in wintertime.

There was a legend that when Christ was born, every tree miraculously shook off its ice and snow and produced new shoots. Christian missionaries preaching to Germanic and Slavic peoples were taking a more lenient approach to per-christian practices—such as evergreen trees. These missionaries believed that the Incarnation proclaimed Christ's lordship not only individual human beings, but cultures, symbols, and traditions could be converted.

It was during the Renaissance that clear records of trees being used as a symbol of Christmas—beginning in Latvia in 1510 and Strasbourg in 1521.

In the Medieval time period, plays which were dramas depicting biblical themes began as part of the church's worship. The plays celebrating the Nativity were linked to the story of creation—in part because Christmas Eve was also considered the feast day of Adam and Eve. Thus, as part of the play for that day, the Garden of Eden was symbolized by a "paradise tree" hung with fruit.

The association of Christmas trees and gifts in the English speaking cultures was due to the influence of Queen Victoria and her husband Prince Albert, a native of Saxony (now part of Germany). German immigrants brought the custom of Christmas trees with them in the early 1800s, but it spread widely after Victoria and Albert set up an elaborate tree for their children at Windsor Castle in 1841. Christmas presents were usually hung on the tree itself.

The image of families exchanging gifts around a tree became a powerful one for Americans in the 1800s

The family-centered image was widely popularized by Clement Moore's 1822 poem, known today as "'Twas the Night Before Christmas".  This poem also cemented the image of Santa Claus into our psyche.

While we may Christmas trees the center of our Christmas celebration, for us Christians, we should remember that they are just symbols of the One who gave himself to unite heaven and earth, and who brings all barren things to flower.

Merry Christmas Everyone!