Oh Christmas Tree, Have Thee Been Forgotten?

Throughout the course of history, different cultures will develop icons and symbols that transcend time and become symbolic images that become part of the landscape of the culture. One such item in the western world is the Christmas tree. While the classic image of the Christmas tree has been an iconic image that has existed as part of the Christmas landscape for centuries, it is somewhat surprising that people are completely familiar with the Christmas tree and not really familiar at all with its origins.

A Victim of the Mundane

Does this mean that people are inherently disinterested with their religious and cultural symbols? Certainly not! Rather, it is simply a case of an iconic symbol becoming so familiar in the public’s eye that it no longer takes on any mythic meaning. In other words, when the Christmas season rolls around, Christmas trees are on sale literally everywhere.

There are natural Christmas trees hawked by vendors at a variety of outlets. Then, there are artificial trees that are sold at even more venues that the natural Christmas tree. Additionally, the sheer variety of artificial trees is somewhat interesting as well. Since artificial trees are replications of the real thing, they are not limited to size or scope of a real tree. In other words, if you wish to have a 6 inch Christmas tree miniature on your desk, then so be it!

The result of all this is the spread of great familiarity of Christmas traditions and cheer. While this is inherently a good thing, a certain psychological shift starts to take place. That is, people do not see the Christmas tree as a classic symbol, but rather a modern one. From this, an interest in the tree’s origins and past become lost. This is a shame.

The Origin of the Christmas Tree

The origin of the Christmas tree comes from German catholic origin. In the original myth, St. Boniface stumbled upon an unusual site in his travels: he discovered a group of pagans worshipping an oak tree. (Paganism and the worship of the earth have been commonly interconnected) St. Boniface chased these pagans away and took an axe and cut down the mighty oak. To St. Boniface’s surprise, from the former resting place of the oak an evergreen grew.

This evergreen became a symbol of Christianity’s eternal goodness and, in time, became symbolic with Christmas despite the evergreen tree not being part of any biblical accounts of Christ’s birth. (Evergreen’s are not indigenous to the Middle East) While not a profound mythic tale, the tale of St. Boniface and the tree does provide the answer to where the origin of the tree originates. Hopefully, it will never be forgotten.