Thursday, December 11: “O Christmas Tree” by Forrest Frank
Ooh boy. A Christmas song about the Christmas tree, sung by a guy named Forrest. Just feels right, you know?
Seriously though, “O Christmas Tree” or “O Tannebaum” has always been a weird, confusing song. Why are we singing to or about the tree itself? Are we… worshiping a tree?
It doesn’t help much that it feels like every year, people accuse Christmas of being a pagan holiday, often citing the Nordic and Druidic influences around the evergreen tree as some sort of proof. (If you’re curious about that argument, we made a video about it a few years ago!)
Yet, the true origins of the Christmas tree aren’t as historically clear cut as people might make it out to be. There are some historians who believe that the Christmas tree was used in medieval practices to represent the Tree of Life from the Garden of Eden.
While that doesn’t necessarily justify a song that feels like it worships the Christmas tree, it does remind us of the hope we have in the birth of Jesus. He came to bring us life and to provide a way for us to live with Him for eternity.
Conversation starter:
“What do you think is the strangest Christmas tradition?”
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