Q. How did trees become part of our Catholic Christmas traditions?
A. The practice of having ceremonial trees brought indoors during winter predates Christianity. There is something about evergreens in winter that remind us spring will come again.
However, the tradition of having a Christmas tree in our home can be traced to St. Boniface, the great evangelist to Germany in the 8th century. The legend is that he saved a boy named Asulf from being sacrificed on an altar below an oak tree by a pagan priest who worshipped Thor. (As an aside, this is something to consider the next time you watch the superhero movie.) As the ceremonial hammer of Thor was raised against the boy, St. Boniface heroically knocked the hammer out of the priest’s hands — with his crozier, no less — thus rescuing the boy. He then took an ax to that oak tree so it would never be used in that way again. When he did so, a mighty wind arrived, and with divine assistance, he destroyed the tree.
Father William Saunders, a priest in the Diocese of Arlington, Virginia, recounts more of this wonderful legend: “Behind the mighty oak stood a young fir tree, pointing like a cathedral spire toward heaven. St. Boniface again spoke to the people, ‘This little tree, a young child of the forest, shall be your holy tree tonight. It is the wood of peace, for your houses are built of the fir. It is the sign of an endless life, for its leaves are ever green. See how it points upward to heaven. Let this be called the tree of the Christchild; gather about it, not in the wild wood, but in your own homes; there it will shelter no deeds of blood, but loving gifts and rites of kindness.’”
Father Saunders continues, “So they took the fir tree and carried it to the village. Duke Alvold set the tree in the middle of his great hall. They placed candles in its branches, and it seemed filled with stars. Then St. Boniface … told the story of Bethlehem, the Baby Jesus in the manger, the shepherds and the angels.”
The story of St. Boniface and the Christmas tree inspires me because when he encountered evil in the world, he decided to act. St. Boniface could have kept walking, kept his head down. Instead, with God’s help, he saved the life of a child and effectively proclaimed the Gospel to a hostile culture.
Perhaps the next time we are sitting quietly in our living room gazing on the beauty of the Christmas tree, we will think of St. Boniface and his heroic virtue. His life reminds us that it is not enough to call ourselves Christians. Our lives must look like it in how we love God and love our neighbor.
In short, when coping with the darkness in the world, Christmas trees can inspire us to choose light over darkness, right over wrong, joy over despair, and Jesus over the world! Having said that, I do not recommend lighting real candles in your Christmas tree.
Northwest Catholic - December 2023/January 2024