The Story of the Christmas Tree

It’s difficult to imagine Christmas without decorated trees. But do they have any “redeeming” value for Christians? And how did the idea get started in the first place? I think the answer to the first question is a resounding YES! The answer to the second question is a bit longer. Believe it or not, the Christmas tree as we know it today actually took more than 700 years to make! For our family, the “evolution” of the Christmas tree makes the most sense when we think of it as happening in three main acts.

Act 1: Boniface

I’ve written Act 1 in the form of a rhyme to make it easy for little ones to enjoy:

The Little Fir Tree

© 2012 by Eric Wilbanks, All Rights Reserved.*

There once was a giant oak
That ruled the western lands
It was said the oak was planted
By Thor’s mighty hand
The people there all worshipped
Beneath the ancient tree
Until a monk named Boniface
Refused to bow his knee
This man of faith told of a God
Who hears us when we pray
But the people there all feared Thor’s wrath
And turned their ears away
So Boniface removed his robe
As the people gathered round
And taking up a woodsman’s axe
He chopped the great oak down
The hours turned to days
Yet Thor’s wrath never came
And one by one the people believed
In the power of Jesus’ name
The monk built a house of worship
From the wood of that great oak
And from that point on the people there
Listened when Boniface spoke
Now, it’s here our story really begins
This part you may have heard
Because Boniface was quite well-known
For his ability to explain God’s Word
As time went by something happened
Within the stump of that oak tree
A little fir sprang up—it’s true!
And its leaves were evergreen
The people marveled at this sight
And they wondered at its meaning
So Boniface used this miracle
To explain three special things
First he set the record straight
Twasn’t Thor who made those trees
Instead, ‘twas the God of the Bible
Whose Hand made all we see
Next he taught them what it means
That our God is always the same
Like the leaves on the evergreen tree
God is eternal and will never change
Finally he used the shape of the tree
To show our God is three yet one
Like the triangle of the little fir
He is Father, Spirit, and Son.

So, Boniface taught three things using the little fir tree as an object lesson. First, God is our creator—He made all trees. Second, God is eternal—He never changes. Third, God is three in one—Father, Spirit, and Son!

So, now we know why the little fir tree became important to Christians. But that still doesn’t explain how the fir tree became the Christmas tree, does it? To learn that, we’ll need to look at Act 2.

Act 2: Mystery Plays

In Act 1, we learned how the little fir tree initially became important to Christians. Boniface used the tree as an object lesson to teach about God the eternal, creator of all things—Father, Spirit, and Son!

As the years went by, churches all over heard about what happened and they too wanted to use the tree to help others learn about God. This eventually led to something called a Paradise Tree.

From the eleventh Century, (during the middle ages), the church celebrated Adam and Eve day on December 24th. As part of that celebration, they used religious plays called “Mystery Plays” to depict the story of the creation of Adam and Eve, their sin and banishment from Eden. It’s at this point that our story is more practical than spiritual.

If you were tasked with putting together a winter play or pageant about the Garden of Eden and wanted to fill your stage with beautiful trees in winter, what sort of tree would you have to use? The answer should be obvious: An evergreen tree was the logical choice. And at least one tree in particular—the tree of the knowledge of good and evil—was decorated with apples symbolizing the forbidden fruit.

Apples on a fir tree. Seem familiar?

The play ended with the promise of the coming Savior and his incarnation, so gradually flat wafers symbolizing the forgiveness of sins in communion were added to the paradise tree, making it now not just the tree of knowledge but also the tree of life. This resulted in a very old European custom of decorating a fir tree in the home with apples and small white wafers representing the Holy Eucharist at Christmas time. These wafers were later replaced by little pieces of pastry cut in the shapes of stars, angels, hearts, flowers, and bells.

So in Act 1, Boniface used the tree to teach about God. Then in Act 2, believers used the tree on December 24 to teach how Adam and Eve sinned and why we need Jesus. But there’s still one more very important part to our story, and this part wouldn’t happen for at least another 350 years! That’s Act 3.

Act 3: Martin Luther

In 1512, a brilliant young theologian named Martin Luther was brought on to teach at the University of Wittenberg in Germany. But Luther was much more than a theology professor. Luther was a passionate student of God’s Word. So passionate, in fact, that it got him in quite a bit of trouble over his lifetime. On October 31, 1517, Luther wrote a letter to bishop Albert of Mainz. In it, he included a copy of his “Disputation of Martin Luther on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences,” which came to be known as The Ninety-Five Theses. Luther’s studied objections to “indulgences” and other church practices eventually led to his excommunication by the religious leaders of his time earned him the title of outlaw by the Emperor. In fact, it was made a crime for anyone in Germany to give Luther food or shelter. Nevertheless, Luther refused to back down, stating publicly, “I am bound by the Scriptures I have quoted and my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and will not recant anything.”

In 1525, Luther married former nun Katharina von Bora. Because of Luther’s status, money was often short, but the marriage was strong. The two had six children, and by the time his first child was born in 1526, Luther had already shifted his focus to the organization of a new congregation of believers based on his beliefs.

As the story goes, one wintery night, Martin Luther was returning home to his family. It was dark and cold, but the sky was filled with millions of stars. The trees, mostly tall evergreens, were covered with frost. Legend has it that Luther was meditating on God’s word, preparing a sermon for his people. When Luther saw the stars twinkling in the sky through the icy green pines, it reminded him that Jesus was the light of the world. Luther was deeply moved by the beauty of this natural wonder and the spiritual truth it brought to mind. When he arrived home, he was eager to recount his experience to his family. To help them understand, he gathered some candles and hung them on a little fir tree to represent the twinkling lights he had seen on his walk home. The tradition of lighting the tree with candles had officially begun. Eventually, a “tree skirt” was placed underneath to catch the melting wax from the candles.

Perhaps that walk was the seed for Luther’s thoughts when he would later quote and then comment on Isaiah 60:1 in one of his Christmas sermons: “’Arise, shine ; for thy light is come.’ Undoubtedly, Christ is the light of which Isaiah here speaks, and which, through the Gospel, shines in all the world, enlightening those who rise — who desire him.”

And so, from a tiny fir springing out of the stump of a mighty oak, to a tree decorated for a play, to a legendary walk by Martin Luther, the story of the Christmas tree is born.

But to be fair, the value of the fir tree goes back even further than any of these stories. The prophet Isaiah, under the inspiration of the Creator himself, would speak these words more than two thousand years before Boniface or Luther:

“Evergreens will grow in place of thorn bushes, firs will grow in place of nettles; they will be a monument to the Lord, a permanent reminder that will remain” (Isaiah 55:13).

As you gaze at your Christmas tree this week, may it remind you of His Story as recorded in the Bible. He is the creator. He is eternal. He is three in one. And even though Adam and Eve brought sin into the world, He sent the Light, Jesus Christ, to save us.

Thank you, Lord, for the Christmas tree that keeps telling that story year after year. Amen.

*If you are interested in sharing this poem, I’d be honored to have you do so. All I ask is that you attribute the poem to me with a link back to this website and blog post. Thanks!