The Reason for the Season Part 1 of 4

At this time of the year even the best of us can get caught up in the hustle and bustle, the buying, shopping, cooking, partying, and other busyness that surrounds us during the Christmas season.  Our modern, secular, politically correct world by and large has hijacked this Holiday, taking Christ out of the celebration that bears his name.  Some even abbreviate CHRISTmas with X-mas, literally removing all traces of the original meaning of this religious commemoration. In the media the word Christmas has become taboo and any religious representation of the season has been substituted with secular meanings and themes.  The holidays – the politically correct term for this time of year, now begins right after Halloween skipping Thanksgiving, making this time for expressing gratitude an after thought or simply a place holder for black Friday and cyber Monday. But even as Christmas is transformed by the world – all around us we still see images – symbols if you will – that can remind us of the true meaning of Christmas. To the observant few these symbols still have meaning that is deep and profound.  There are many symbols of Christmas, but in this post and the next three posts I will talk about four of the major symbols that we see all around us during this time of year and what they mean to me!

My first symbol of Christmas is the Christmas Tree:  

The traditional Christmas tree or in Germany the Tannenbaum is an evergreen conifer and usually a pine, fir, or spruce. The Christmas tree reminds me of three things.

First, Christmas trees are triangular in shape.  The triangle traditionally signifies the trinity of God our Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost. I believe that they are three separate individuals perfectly united in purpose, which is to bring to pass our everlasting happiness. When we see the shape of the Christmas tree we can be reminded of them.

Second, the trees of this variety are evergreen signifying life – even eternal life made possible through the Atonement of Jesus Christ whose birth we celebrate.

Third, the evergreen needles of these trees point heavenward reminding us to look up to the source of all blessings. God is always there – He hears and answers every prayer, He is our Father in Heaven, He loves us dearly, and He can be the source of our strength and send comfort and Hope.

My second symbol of Christmas ... coming in the next installment!