Since I’ve been writing so much on Advent lately, from defining Advent, to asking what the point of it was, to explaining Advent traditions, prayers, and spiritual disciplines, I thought I’d write more on the Christmas Tree.
In the film Prometheus (2012) that came out recently, the futuristic space explorers still celebrate Christmas, and do so by erecting a Tree in the ship. This seems to be emblematic of how central the Tree has become to Christmas celebrations. In fact it has become so important that its mere existence seems to triumph completely over its essence or meaning (Jean-Paul Sartre would be proud). Long after people lose their faith in Christ in North America and Europe, they still retain the Christmas Tree without accepting any of its symbolism.
As aforementioned the cut tree represented the victory of the Holy Trinity (whose three persons were represented by each point on the tree) over the pagan gods worshipped and sacrificed to, via sacred trees. Legends of Martin Luther being the first to celebrate Advent with the Christmas Tree are probably only symbolic of the importance of the tradition in formerly pagan Germany. German merchants and soldiers were the first in English-speaking Non-Lutheran lands to bring the trees into the holiday celebrations. With the ascension of the Hanoverians to the throne of the three kingdoms (England, Scotland, and Ireland) in 1714, the Georgian dynasty became linked to the Christmas Tree. In 1800 Queen Charlotte erected a Christmas Tree, and this tradition was continued and especially popularized by Prince Albert and Queen Victoria in the mid 19th century.
Like the cross itself, the beautiful thing about symbols is that they function as silent witnesses to that which lived before, and life can always spring up from them again. Each year people curiously look to the tree and wonder why its there, and perhaps in their searching, there will be an opportunity for the light of Christ to shine through the symbol, graciously leading people back to himself. God is quite unscrupulous, as C.S. Lewis used to say, he’ll use any and all means necessary to send forth his Word and Spirit in some measure, maybe even through something as simple as the tale of the Christmas tree.