First of all...Merry Christmas to you.
I'm celebrating Christmas with my Christmas Mass, Christmas tree, Christmas present, Christmas dinner, Christmas outfit, and my Christmas spirit. I don't care what anyone else calls it, but to me it is and always will be Christmas.
By the way, let me sing you a little song you'll enjoy:
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree!
How are thy leaves so verdant!
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
How are thy leaves so verdant!
Not only in the summertime,
But even in winter is thy prime.
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
How are thy leaves so verdant!
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
Much pleasure doth thou bring me!
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
Much pleasure doth thou bring me!
For every year the Christmas tree,
Brings to us all both joy and glee.
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
Much pleasure doth thou bring me!
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
Thy candles shine out brightly!
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
Thy candles shine out brightly!
Each bough doth hold its tiny light,
That makes each toy to sparkle bright.
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
Thy candles shine out brightly!
Merry Christmas!
the funny thing is, tannenbaum doesn't mean Christmas tree, literally. means fir tree. good enough for those pagans. and Weihnachten means votive night.
Mrs VS
"O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree! "
O Tannebaum, O Tannenbaum, wie grün sind deine Blätter!
Du grünst nicht nur zur Sommerzeit, auch im Winter, wenn es schneit.
O Tannebaum, O Tannenbaum, wie grün sind deine Blätter!
u.s.w. . . .
As another poster pointed out, Tannenbaum is not literally Christmas tree -- which is pertinent to this article. It does "mean" Christmas tree, which is ALSO pertinent!
I read an excellent piece: Yggdrasil, the Cross, and the Christmas Tree, which is App. C of a book which explains the religious symbolism of Grimms' fairy tales: "The Owl, the Raven, and the Dove", by G. Ronald Murphy. Worth reading.
Basically, the evergreen represented the Tree of Life to the Northern pagans, before Christianity. THE Tree was Yggdrasil, which sustained the world.
This took on a beautiful symbolism when they converted to Christianity. The Tree == The Cross. We have that symbolism also: He died upon the Tree is often said.
The book points out that in Northern Europe, the Cross is often pictured as a tree trunk with stubs where branches had been cut off.
So the evergreen is a wonderful prefigurment, in their culture, to Christ and His Cross as the means of salvation.
When the evergreens were first decorated hundreds of years ago in Germany as Christmas Trees, it was with real fruits and nuts, and oblaten, which are the white wafers which are the base of Lebkuchen, which means approx. bread of life. They also recall the host of the sacrifice of the Mass, which is the re-representation of Christ's sacrifice. SO: we have oblaten (representing Christ's sacrifice) on the Christ-Mass Tree, and the Tree ALSO represents Christ's sacrifice!
They can't take the Christ out of the Christmas Tree, because that is what it is, whether they know/admit it or not.
Bought me diamond rings for Christmas
I feel like I'm in paradise
Be at my side
I got music on my radio
Feel my vibe
I got music on my radio
I feel like I'm going to kiss you underneath the Mistletoe
Santa's coming down the chimney, half past three
All those pretty presents for my baby and for me
Merry Christmas baby
Sure did treat me nice
Treat me so nice
Bought me pretty presents
I feel like I'm in paradise
Merry Christmas girl
Merry Chrismas baby
Merry Chrismas baby
Sure did treat me nice
You know you do
Merry Christmas baby
Sure did treat me nice
I got a lot of pretty presents
I feel like I'm in paradise
Merry Christmas baby
Merry Christmas baby
I feel like I'm in paradise
In paradise
Merry Christmas baby
Happy New Year
Merry Christmas baby
Merry Christmas baby
Merry Christmas baby
Merry Christmas baby
Merry Christmas baby
and a very Happy New Year