‘Tis The Evergreen Season

by Marisa

Pine trees, wreaths, branches along the mantle – for a winter holiday, the Yule-tide season certainly is green. But where did the evergreen symbolism begin, and how do we best keep our seasonal branches verdant?

Early Pagans favored the evergreen during the stark winter months as a symbol of life everlasting. These same traditions claim that families first brought live trees inside the home to provide a warm winter respite for wood spirits, hanging bells on the tree limbs to signify the wood spirits’ presence. To the Celts, the evergreen’s massive height and elaborate root system represented both eternity and the magical adage “as above, so below.” Similarly, the evergreen wreath, a circle with no beginning or end, symbolized a new cycle in the ever-turning wheel of life.

So, how do you best care for these branches? Tree decorator to the stars, Dr. Christmas (www.drchristmas.com), advises buying live trees later rather than sooner (this weekend being the perfect time, so it’ll be fresh the full 12 days of Christmas), and taking them down when the needles snap instead of bending. If the artificial route is easier, or you just don’t have the time or space for a tree, evergreen-scented candles and oils do a wonderful job of conjuring the holiday spirit – without housing any wood spirits.

| 12/21/07 | Beliefs