O Christmas Tree…

O Christmas Tree…

By Mark Leitheiser

When it comes to traditions, no other holiday can match Christmas. Can’t even come close. From songs to cookies, our lives are filled with the traditions of Christmas but for many of us, one tradition literally stands above the others: the tradition of the Christmas tree.

The idea of placing an evergreen in a house isn’t exactly new. Historians tell us that ancient Egyptians and Romans hung pine and spruce boughs over their doors and windows. Some thought this would keep evil spirits and sickness away. Others thought, well, who knows what they thought but thankfully, they started a tradition that is alive and well today.

Just a couple thousand years later, Germany was good enough to start the Christmas tree tradition we enjoy today. Legend has it that none other than Martin Luther himself was the first to add lights to his tree. According to this legend, Luther was walking home one winter evening when he was struck by the beauty of the stars shining through the evergreens. To capture the beauty of this scene, he brought a tree into his house and wired lighted candles to its branches.

Whether or not this is completely accurate is unclear just as it is unclear what the local fire marshal thought of this idea. Myths, by their very nature, take on lives of their own but allow me to clear up one myth. For the record, I was not walking with Martin Luther when he was inspired by the beauty of the stars that night.

Nor was I present in the mid-19th century when our German friends in Pennsylvania first displayed Christmas trees in America. Curiously, many Americans at that time viewed the traditions we hold dear today such as singing carols and decorating trees as disrespectful expressions that desecrated the spirit of Christmas. Thankfully, as more immigrants flooded our shores, these traditions took on the joyful spirit we celebrate today.

And make no mistake, Christmas trees are still a big part of our Christmas celebrations. How big? Today, Christmas trees are grown in every state in America including such far-flung states as Hawaii, Alaska and Iowa. Back in the day, most of these trees were decorated with homemade goodies but our German friends took a more “tasteful” approach, using apples, nuts and cookies. Of course, it was only a matter of time until shiny plastic ornaments, made in China, would complete the genuine warmth and beauty we enjoy with our trees today.

Yet no tree today is complete without lights. Whether it was because of fire codes or too many torched houses, thankfully, we moved away from lighted candles to modern lights on our Christmas trees. In fact, it was Thomas Edison’s assistants who first came up with the idea of using electric lights to decorate trees. No surprise there. With Edison supplying much of the electricity to power these lights, this was the gift that kept on giving and continues to do so today.

Yet even better gifts are the memories of cutting and decorating the Christmas trees of our childhood. For our family, this meant driving a mile up the road to a neighbor’s woods to search for the perfect tree, which always seemed a bit odd since we left two hundred acres of our own trees behind us. Apparently, the neighbors grew better trees than we did.

Upon our arrival we would roll out of the pickup dressed in so many layers that only our eyes were exposed to winter’s bite as we waddled to the trees looking very much like a bunch of drunk penguins. Once we reached the edge of the evergreen forest, it was on, as each of us was determined to find the perfect tree and win bragging rights for the year.

Dad patiently padded along behind us, gently pointing out the flaws of each of our choices before guiding us to the one I suspect he had picked out from the moment we arrived. When we all finally agreed that we had found the best tree possible, Dad would pull out his trusty Swede saw and a few hard pulls generally did the business. We had our tree.

After we arrived home our fabulous new tree had to stand in the corner of the kitchen to dry its needles while adding holiday perfume to the house with its sweet smell of freshly cut spruce. Then, after a hastily eaten supper, Dad would lower the tree into a green and red metal tree stand and slowly turn the three long screws that held the tree until it would stay vertical.

The real fun began when we opened the cardboard boxes and began decorating the tree with ornaments, lights and tinsel until. Before we knew it, Dad would proclaim, “That’s the prettiest tree we’ve ever had!” And although he said the same thing every year, we still managed to believe him.

And then, the magic of Christmas would fill the room as we turned off all the house lights and quietly sat together on the couch for a moment or two, basking in the warm glow of our tree

 . . . the prettiest one we’d ever had. Later that evening, there would be homemade ice cream and a Christmas special on TV- usually “The Little Drummer Boy” before bed. Soon, there would be presents under our tree but that night we embraced something much better: we had presence.

Christmas is indeed a time filled with traditions and this year I hope you’ll give special attention to your tree. If you will take the time to select and decorate it with love, I’m sure Dad would tell you, “That’s the prettiest tree you’ve ever had.” And when you place your presents under the tree, may you also find joy in your presence. It just might be the best gift of all. Merry Christmas.