Christmas Tree - Symbolizes that Jesus
Christ came as the second Adam to restore access to the "Tree of Life". It is a symbol of
Christ the source of eternal life. Boniface,
an 8th century missionary to the Germans, bravely chopped down the sacred oak of
the god Thor and replaced it with a fir tree dedicated to the Christ child.
He taught "you are a light of the world, an evergreen tree, if you
renounce idolatry." It wasn't
until much later that it became used indoors.
Martin Luther cut a small fir tree, set it up in his home and placed
candles on it to represent the stars on the night of Christ's birth.
He did this as an illustration to his children.
Evergreens - represent life and eternal life that Jesus came to bring.
Lights - acknowledges that Christmas
is celebrating the coming of the light of the world (Jesus Christ).
Christmas Wreaths - are primarily a recognition of
the crucifixion of Jesus. They
represent the crown of thorns placed on Christ's head.
Red berries represent drops of blood.
Wreaths are placed on the door or in a window of a house to represent
that Christ has entered that home and has a place of honor there.
Christmas Bells - Celebrate the good news of
the birth of Christ. In medieval
times bells tolled a somber and eerie toll to symbolize the destruction of the
devil. At midnight the sound of the
bells changed to a joyful sound of victory announcing the birth of Jesus the
King and His triumph.
Candles - a symbol that Christ is the
light of the world. Fire is also a
symbol of Christ and the Holy Spirit and cleansing from sin.
Singing Christmas Carols - On
the first Christmas the Angels sang "Glory to God in the Highest".
Carols are always joyous and celebrate the birth of Christ.
Gift Giving - the magi brought gifts to
the Christ Child. We give gifts to
each other as a response to all the gifts that God has given us. Most purchases at Christmas time are gifts that are given to
others. A wonderful way to
celebrate God's gifts to us.
Candy Canes - A candy maker in Indiana
invented the "candy cane"
to witness to the birth, death and ministry of Jesus.
He began with hard white candy. White
to symbolize the virgin birth and sinless nature of Christ.
Hard to represent the solid rock of Jesus and His promises.
The shape is a "J" to represent the name of Jesus and the staff
of the Good Shepherd. The thin red
stripes represent the scourging that Jesus received.
The large red stripe symbolizes the blood shed on the cross for us.
Santa Claus - most of what we have today
has developed from myth. But the
origin is based on a real person, Nicholas.
He was born in the Asia Minor city of Patras in the early 4th century and
was the Bishop of Myra (in southwestern Turkey).
He had a strong Christian faith, which showed itself in his love for
people. He was known for giving
gifts, especially to poor women and children and prisoners.
Permission is granted to use this for personal use.
Written by Bob Krepps © 1990 all rights reserved
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