Yes I have always thought of Christmas trees as symbols of eternal life.
The wreathe is also a symbol of God, the Eternal, without beginning and without end.
There are many very meaningful symbols of Christmas and it is especially rewarding to teach these to our children. Just because we are Christian doesn’t mean we live in a world stripped of beauty and joy. Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10) And so we fully enjoy the majesty of the music, the sights and scents and tastes of this joyful season commemorating the Savior’s birth, always keeping Him in the center of our celebration and devotion.
There is lots of symbolism in the Christmas. In the essay, “Teach the Children” there are at least these:
fir tree: symbol of man’s everlasting hope, needles pointing heavenward
stars: sign of Lord’s promises
candle: Christ is the light of the world
wreath: eternal nature of love
red bulbs: drops of blood shed for us
holly leaf: crown of thorns worn for us
gifts: symbol of the Father’s gift of his Only Begotten Son
candy cane: shepherd’s crook to seek out straying sheep as our brother’s keeper
angels: heralds of Savior’s birth
bells: calling lost sheep to return to shepherd’s fold
I am usually a lavish Christmas celebrant but this year is a little different. We have a giant tree in the living room, wreaths, decorations all around, lights outside, the creche front and center, but this year a good friend of ours has elected to go home to his Father before Christmas. He has suffered from ALS for three or four years and he has decided not to fight any longer. This coming Saturday we will attend the family as this good, holy man has his breathing tube withdrawn so nature can take its course.
We will keep this vigil with him and his family and comfort them. It would be easy to get uptight about all this but there is a strangely comforting peace that has descended upon us all. And most wonderful of all, we are seeing Christmas for what it has always meant to be: children seeking their Father in Heaven, children supporting each other. This will be a special Christmas for us, as my husband and I discussed. Suddenly gifts aren’t important, parties aren’t important, shopping isn’t important. They will happen but they aren’t a priority. Suddenly everything distills into a kind of quiet waiting for a brother to ascend to His Father, finally free of his physical burdens. He is in his early sixties, has a spirit that you can’t imagine with its radiance and faith, and he is going to celebrate Christmas with the Christ. We will stay here and help his family in the aftermath and await a reunion in a future time.
“Yes I have always thought of Christmas trees as symbols of eternal life.”
Looks like the observant atheists are also into Christmas trees
as well!
Atheists to erect holiday display
daily local news (chester county, pa.) ^ | 11/28/2007 | staff
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1931994/posts