There are many versions of the story behind the Christmas Tree,

Do you have a story to tell?

I can remember sitting under our Christmas Tree when I was a small child - sitting in the dark but with the little lights on the tree sparkling through the tinsel and baubles. I was mesmerised by the magical world that lived in our Christmas Tree and to me every thing was real. It was a magical world where anything could happen - and all of it was wonderful.

Now, I love to go out to the woods and stand under the evergreen trees and smell their fragrance, and they are just as magical as my childhood Christmas Tree when they are covered with sparkling frost in the early morning sunlight - or even snow!

It is easy to get lost in the commercial trappings of Christmas, but every culture around the world has a reverence for the tree and many indigenous people put prayers in the tree at the winter solstice, to pray for the return of the sun. The evergreen tree in particular gives us hope that the green and vibrant world that disappears in the winter will return with a dependable regularity in the spring. And in the desert countries, the solitary tree gives hope that there is water beneath the parched land, and that life will go on.

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Big HUgs...I am planning to spend solstice, solo in the woods.  I was out there the other night after rain.  Ground fog rising silence and only a hint of crescent moon peaking out above.  Love and grace Beautiful Friends we find in trees.

Love and Big Hugs to you and your Trees Melody, :)

The transparent, skeletal shapes of the Trees in winter are awe-inspiring, especially with the colours of the sunset in a clear frosty sky behind - every colour you can imagine.

xxx

 I went to a Winter Solstice Celebration at the Unitarian Universalist Church that I Worship at. They burned the taditional Yule Log and People stood around the fire,listened to traditional Folk stories,and threw in pinecones,pine needles,holly branches,and holly leaves. And then,everyone went into the Fellowship Hall. There was a big spiral of Pine branches and candels there and they sang traditional Hyms,did rituals from Pagan and other Cultures,lit candles,and Prayed.

 

Thank you for this Stephen - it sounds lovely - a beautiful way to celebrate the Winter Solstice. A fire must be the most heartening thing on that cold, dark day when the sun seems to disappear. Whenever there is a fire, people naturally gather round, don't they? You just can't help it!! And of course the evergreen trees, like the pine and holly, were seen as reflecting our ability to survive the dark winter months; they didn't die so they showed us that we wouldn't either.

What a lovely church to worship at. Much in the many faiths is still based on the old religion of the Earth (paganism) because it is true to nature.

We are moving on now, having just celebrated the Imbolc Festival, the time of renewed life. My snowdrops are out and I noticed golden catkins on the willow trees this weekend. Roll on Spring!

Tree-Life

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