Catholics! Keep Your Trees Up!

Catholic Answers ^ | December 30, 2014 | Christopher Check

[NYer]

New Year’s Day promises two certainties: college football bowl games and Christmas trees on the curb. To Catholics, of course, January 1 is the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. It's a Holy Day of Obligation, and the final day of the Octave of Christmas.

The Church, however, is so generous with joy. She does not end our celebration of the Incarnation with the conclusion of the Octave of Christmas. She extends it to Epiphany. Twelfth Night, as our English-speaking brethren call it, is an event Catholics in America should celebrate with more enthusiasm (think: roaring bonfires, grilled meat, lots of singing, red wine, brown ale) and might very well do if it were observed here on the Liturgical Calendar on January 6 as it is England, Australia, and Canada, to say nothing of Vatican City.

But the celebrating doesn’t stop there! After Epiphany, the revelry continues until the Baptism of the Lord, the first Sunday after January 6 (usually). This year, Catholics may very well wish to keep their decorations up through January 11. And if you want to be really traditional, you can celebrate what the faithful called “Christmastide” before the liturgical reforms that followed the Second Vatican Council. In the old rite, or what we today call the Extraordinary Form, Christmastide lasted for 40 days to correspond with the 40 days of Lent, and the 40 days from Easter to Ascension Thursday.  

A 40-day party? Gloria in Excelsis! (And people say Trad Cats are a dour bunch.)

Christmastide ended on February 2, the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary, also called Candlemas Day. On this day, the faithful take candles that they will use throughout the year in their homes to Mass to have them blessed.

Here is how the brilliant Benedictine Abbot Dom Prosper Guéranger helps us understand the totality of the mystery of Christmastide:

We apply the name of Christmas to the 40 days, which begin with the Nativity of Our Lord, December 25, and end with the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary, February 2. It is a period, which forms a distinct portion of the Liturgical Year, as distinct, by its own special spirit, from every other, as are Advent, Lent, Easter or Pentecost. One same Mystery is celebrated and kept in view the whole 40 days. Neither the Feasts of the Saints, which so abound during this Season; nor the time of Septuagesima, with its mournful Purple, which often begins before Christmastide is over, seem able to distract our Holy Mother the Church from the immense joy with which She received the glad tidings from the Angels (Luke 2:10) on that glorious Night for which the world had been longing for 4000 years. The custom of celebrating the Solemnity of Our Savior's Nativity by a Feast of 40 days' duration is founded on the Holy Gospel itself; for it tells us that the Blessed Virgin Mary, after spending 40 days in the contemplation of the Divine Fruit of Her glorious Maternity, went to the Temple, there to fulfill, in most perfect humility, the ceremonies which the Law demanded of the daughters of Israel when they became mothers. The Feast of Mary's Purification is, therefore, part of that of Jesus' Birth; and the custom of keeping this holy and glorious period of 40 days as one continued Festival has every appearance of being a very ancient one, at least in the Roman Church.

The feast in the new rite is called the Presentation of the Lord—same joyful event, different emphasis, but if you really want to be a “sign of contradiction” (get it?) do as they did in ages past! Keep your tree and your decorations up until Candlemas!

[AnAmericanMother]

We had Siamese that were inveterate tree-climbers - the last of my breeding died last year, and we have so many dogs that my hubby said NO MORE CATS.

Our solution for the climbing problem was to put a screw-eye in a ceiling beam and wire the tree to the ceiling. Kitties could scramble up and down and do no real harm. Strangely enough, they never broke a glass ornament climbing around the tree. Although one of my little females had the odd habit of taking an ornament that was a little stuffed mouse in an old-fashioned Kate Greenaway bonnet and pinafore, hauling her down the tree, and UNDRESSING her. I don't know if she was a champion of Nudity for Mice or was offended by her pretending to be a human.

[RckyRaCoCo]

Orthodox Christmas Day 2015
Wednesday, January 7, 2015

[Idaho_Cowboy]

Today, tens of millions of beautiful trees, which COULD become huge, mature Douglas firs, spruce, balsams, or other kinds of conifers, and which COULD be used to build millions of homes, or produce resins, paper, and dozens of useful products, are instead cut down, then shipped via truck and rail to distribution points, then stood up, to have a base nailed to them, and sold to “Christians” to take indoors and decorate with orbs and bulbs.

---

Darn I can’t do either. I cut off my feet and gouged out my eyes years ago...

[Grateful2God]

My Dad used to put aspirin in the water the tree stood in. Aspirin being acidic, it served the same kind of myriatic acid served on the shrubs when they’d turn brown. Whatever it was, it worked pretty well! He also cut it on an angle with a hacksaw so it would absorb the water better. : )

[virgil]

I take the tree down after Epiphany, but I keep the Nativity scene up until Candlemas.

[Grateful2God]

Thanks. I have been craving mulled wine for awhile now. Does not seem like Christmas without it. I think I will pass on the carrot coffee however. :)

Aaaawwww, darn, now I've got a craving for egg nog! ; )

[miss marmelstein]

Yes, the old aspirin trick. I forgot it this year.

[FourtySeven]

Talk about not reading something. You obviously didn’t read what I posted to you! The points you (or that article you posted) make are addressed by what I posted. Namely, the central point “learn not the way of the heathen”. The question you should be asking yourself, if you even want to pretend to be objective is, “what is God warning against when He says ‘learn not the way of the heathen?’”

He’s most certainly not saying “don’t do anything the pagans do”. He’s saying “don’t commit adultery against Me by committing idolatry”. Which is serving other gods, or taking them to be equal or superior to God.

From this understanding it’s clear that passages like Jer 10 are not warning against Christmas tree usage, rather they are warning against adopting pagan idol worship. Did you get that? *Idol Worship*, that is worshipping a tree or a statue or any “graven image” because one believes that statue or tree or image contains a spirit being inside it. That’s idolarty and that’s what passages like Jer 10 forbid. Here’s the rub though...

...no one (today, celebrating Christmas with a tree decoration) is worshipping the TREE! So the texts like Jer 10 don’t apply to the Christmas tree unless, like the article I gave you said, someone is literally bowing down to the tree and worshipping it like some god. (Or also as the article said if someone loves their Christmas tree more than they love God).

Now honestly, put down Alexander Hislop for a second and think on your own: do you believe that people are worshipping their Christmas trees? Bowing down and making sacrifices TO the tree itself? Think, THINK!

This same line of reasoning applies to claims such as Christmas itself is sinful because it is pagan or Easter, or any other such claim that relies on mere similarities in decorations to prove idolatry.

Also the mere fact (if it is) that Christmas is right around the time of some other pagan celebrations isn’t proof of anything sinister either, just proof that the pagan religion was destroyed and replaced by Christianity. Christ is victorious over all, including pagan religions themselves, and somehow this victory is bad? Somehow this supplantation and virtual elimination of paganism is evil, merely because it’s on (or near) the same day as the now dead pagan religion? Again, no one is worshipping “sol invictus” or whatever other forgotten old god you or Hislop use to justify your Grinch-like attitude. And that’s the POINT: a day isn’t bad in of itself, it’s what’s DONE on that day or date that’s “bad” (or good).

You don’t have to reply if you now realize the stupidity of this whole claim. If you do reply though, and continue to assert your original claim, then I can see no reason to reply to you further. Your mind will be known to be closed to reason at that point.

[ealgeone]

Good grief ya’ll have a lot of rules to follow.

[Grateful2God]

Tell me, please, does your Bible say, GLORY TO GOD IN THE HIGHEST, AND ON EARTH PEACE TO MEN OF GOOD WILL? Or at least something similar?

We celebrate the Birth of Jesus.

Does it matter if it's the exact same day as 2000+ years ago? The fact is, we celebrate, as least as much as we are permitted to, thanks to the misinterpretation of "separation of church and state."

Good will. That means kindness and a genuine concern for one's fellow humans. What do you do, besides criticize your fellow man, to celebrate the Birth of Jesus?

May God bless you!

[Grateful2God]

Good grief ya’ll have a lot of rules to follow.

Maybe, but those who make God and His Church the center of their lives follow them as a labor of love, not only for God, but for all our fellow men in humanity!

[ealgeone]

Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. 29“Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. 30“For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

[defconw]

Keeping your tree up is not a rule. It’s a tradition, it’s not like the Bishop comes by and gives you a citation for not having a tree up. Christmas deserves more than just one day.

[Grateful2God]

"Yes, the old aspirin trick. I forgot it this year."

They didn't have enteric-coated back then, when we had a real tree. I wonder if those would melt? ;)

[Grateful2God]

That’s right! : )

[Yosemitest]

Let't take a closer look at Isaiah 3:16-22, or better yet, all of Chapter 3 of Isaiah.

For, behold, the Lord, the LORD of hosts, DOTH TAKE AWAY FROM Jerusalem AND FROM Judah
the stay and the staff,
the whole stay of bread, and the whole stay of water,
The mighty man, and the man of war,
the judge , and the prophet,
and the prudent , and the ancient,
The captain of fifty, and the honourable man,
and the counsellor , and the cunning artificer, and the eloquent orator.
And I WILL GIVE CHILDREN TO BE THEIR PRINCES,
AND BABES SHALL RULE OVER THEM .
And the people shall be OPPRESSED ,
every one by another,
and every one by his neighbour:
the child shall behave himself PROUDLY AGSINT the ancient,
and the base AGAINST the honourable .
When a man shall take hold of his brother of the house of his father, saying,
Thou hast clothing, be thou our ruler, AND LET THIS RUIN BE UNDER THY HAND:
In that day shall he swear , saying ,
I WILL NOT BE AN HEALER ;
for in my house is NEITHER bread NOR clothing:
MAKE ME NOT A RULER of the people.
For Jerusalem is ruined , and Judah is fallen :
BECAUSE THEIR TONGUE AND THEIR DOINGS ARE AGAINST THE LORD ,
TO PROVOKE THE EYES OF HIS GLORY .
The shew of their countenance DOTH WITNESS AGAINST THEM ;
AND THEY DECLARE THEIR SIN AS SODOM
THEY HIDE IT NOT .
Woe unto their soul!
for THEY HAVE REWARDED EVIL UNTO THEMSELVES.
Say ye to the righteous,
that it shall be well with him:
for they shall eat the fruit of their doings.
Woe unto the wicked!
IT SHALL BE ILL WITH HIM:
for the reward of his hands SHALL BE GIVEN HIM.
As for my people, CHILDREN ARE THEIR OPPRESSORS ,
AND WOMEN RULE OVER THEM .
O my people, THEY WICH LEAD THE CAUSE THEE TO ERR ,
AND DESTROY THE WAY OF THY PATHS .
The LORD standeth up to plead , and standeth to judge the people.
The LORD will enter into judgment with the ancients of his people, and the princes thereof:
for ye have eaten up the vineyard;
THE SPOIL OF THE POOR IS IN YOUR HOUSES .
What mean ye
THAT YE BEAT MY PEOPLE TO PIECES ,
AND GRIND THE FACES OF THE POOR?
saith the Lord GOD of hosts.

Moreover the LORD saith ,
BECAUSE the daughters of Zion ARE HAUGHTY ,
AND WALK WITH STRETCHED FORTH NECKS AND WANTON EYES,
walking and mincing as they go, and making a tinkling with their feet:
THEREFORE the Lord WILL SMITE WITH A SCAB the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion,
and the LORD WILL DISCOVER THEIR SECERT PARTS .
In that day the Lord WILL TAKE AWAY THE BRAVERY of their tinkling ornaments about their feet,
AND CAUSE THEIR CAULS, AND THEIR ROUND TIRES like the moon,
The chains, and the bracelets, and the mufflers,
The bonnets, and the ornaments of the legs, and the headbands,
and the tablets , and the earrings,
The rings, and nose jewels,
The changeable suits of apparel, and the mantles,
and the wimples, and the crisping pins, and the hoods, and the vails.
And it shall come to pass,
that INSTEAD OF THE SWEET SMELLl
THERE SHALL BE STINK ;
and INSTEAD OF a girdle
a rent;
and INSTEAD OF WELL SET HAIR
BALDNESS ;
and instead of a stomacher
a girding of sackcloth;
AND BURNING
instead of beauty.
Thy men SHALL FALL
by the sword,
and thy mighty
in the war.
And her gates SHALL LAMENT AND MOURN ;
and she BEING DESOLATE
shall sit upon the ground.

Yes, I would agree that God is rebuking people.
But it's for more than just building idols.
Read it all, again.
It sounds like it was written AS A WARNING FOR THE PEOPLE OF TODAY, for right here, and right now!

[Yosemitest]

Do you realize just how warped and ridiculous you sound?
Christmas and "the Christmas Tree IS the way of the heathen !

[Grateful2God]

Could you please explain what you meant in the last line of your post #103? Thanks, and God bless you!

[mad_as_he$$]

So Vikings aren’t Pagan? Interesting. they had the tree thing going long before Christianity adopted it.

[Yosemitest]

Did Jesus SAY to celebrate His Birth?
Or did Jesus say something else?
You can't even get the date right.

And when you celebrate His resurrection, do you get the FULL THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS Jesus was in the ground ... correct?
Or do you screw that up also?