Christmas decorations

Pictured are Christmas trees cut from walnut logs and decorated with garland, stars and lights. At front are ceramic figures of Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus.

Many holidays have two sides, pagan and Christian. Christmas is one of them. For years they have coexisted but more and more there is a big push to rid any reference to Christianity from the holidays. Yes, everyone must choose for themselves, but to force the issue is dangerous either way.

Most symbols of Christmas have a secular meaning and a Christian meaning. The original meanings have been changed over time to where not many people know what they symbolize. Today the choice of what to use as a decoration is usually done with what is pleasing to the eye and not with symbolism as the main emphasis.

Historically for pagans the Christmas tree was part of the feast of Saturnalia - the birth of the Sun in the sky at the Winter Solstice. For Christians the Christmas tree represents the celebration of the birth of Christ.

The custom of gift-giving on Christmas goes back to Roman festivals of Saturnalia and Kalends. In the beginning they were simple items such as twigs from a sacred grove as good luck emblems. Later they used food, small items of jewelry, candles and statues of gods as gifts. To the early church, gift-giving was a pagan holdover that was frowned upon. However, some justified gift-giving by relating it to the gifts given by the Magi to Jesus, and from figures such as St. Nicholas.

Santa Claus today is fat, jolly, has a red suit trimmed in white fur, usually carries a sack of toys, his sleigh flies through the air, pulled by eight reindeer - Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen. His visits occur on Christmas Eve after everyone has gone to bed. This is when he leaves gifts under the Christmas tree and in the stockings for good children. He enters the house through the chimney. This is far from St. Nicholas who was known for giving gifts to needy children.
Poinsettias are from Mexico. The Mexicans in the 18th century thought the plants were symbolic of the Star of Bethlehem. Thus the Poinsettia became associated with Christmas.
The Druids used mistletoe to celebrate the coming of winter. They believed the plant had special healing powers for everything from female infertility to poison ingestion. Scandinavians thought of mistletoe as a plant of peace and harmony. They associated it with their goddess of love, Frigga. The custom of kissing under the mistletoe is believed to come from this belief. The church fathers banned the use of mistletoe and suggested the use of holly as an appropriate substitute for Christmas greenery.

The abbreviation Xmas used for Christmas is of Greek origin. The Greek word for Christ is Xristos. In the 16th century, Europeans began using the first initial of Christ’s name, “X” in place of the word Christ in Christmas as a shortened form of the word. Later Christians who did not understand the Greek language mistook Xmas as a sign of disrespect. Today in fact the abbreviation is used by some who think they are eliminating Christ from Christmas.

Decorating for the Christmas holidays is in full swing along with debate of what the meaning of each decoration is. Should extra care be taken to scrub the holiday of all Christian symbols? Do we even agree what is a Christian symbol and what isn’t? What about the future. Will this lead to restricting or banning the practice of Christianity altogether? In some countries it has. Will ours be next?