▷▷▷Where Did the Christmas Tree Come From?
The Egyptians were part of a long line of cultures that treasured and worshipped evergreens. When winter arrived, they brought palm leaves into their homes to symbolize life's triumph over death. The Romans celebrated winter with a fest called Saturnalia to honor Saturnus, the god of agriculture. They also decorated their houses with greens and lights and exchanged gifts. They gave coins for prosperity, pastries for happiness, and lamps to light one's journey through life. In Great Britain, Druids, who were woods priests, used evergreens during winter rituals. They also used holly and mistletoe as symbols of eternal life. And they would put evergreen branches over doors to keep away evil spirits.
Now that we know a bit about the history of the evergreen. How did the Christmas tree come to be? In the late Middle ages, Germans and Scandinavians placed evergreen trees inside their homes or outside their doors to show hope in the coming of spring. St. Boniface, who converted the German people to Christianity was said to have come across a group of pagans worshipping an oak tree. St. Boniface became angry and cut down the oak tree. And to his surprise, a young fir tree sprung up from the roots of the oak tree. So St. Boniface took this as a sign of the Christian faith. It was believed that the Christmas tree tradition came to the U.S. with Hessian troops during the American Revolution or with German immigrants to Pennsylvania and Ohio.
There is nothing in the bible that either commands or prohibits Christmas trees. Some have claimed that Jeremiah 10:1-16 which states in part, "For the customs of the peoples are worthless; they cut a tree out of the forest, and a craftsman shapes it with his chisel. They adorn it with silver and gold; they fasten it with hammer and nails so it will not totter," says that he prohibits the cutting down and decorating of trees in this manner. But Jeremiah is actually against idols made of wood, plated with silver and gold and worshipped. So unless we are worshipping and bowing to our Christmas trees and praying to it, this scripture cannot be applied. There is nothing spiritual to having or not having a tree. Whatever choice we make, must be made to please the Lord. Romans 14:5-6 says, "One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord." Christians shouldn't look down on one another for choosing to celebrate Christmas with or without a tree. This is considered spiritual pride. And is a misuse of our freedom in Christ. If you remember that Jesus is the reason for the season, then all you do- will be to glorify God.
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