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| SPECIAL MEMORIES |
ORNAMENTS
It has been very
interesting doing the research to bring this alphabet of Advent to you. I am discovering that most of our Christmas
traditions have been passed down to us through Germany. Most of our traditions
are converted pagan practices, adopted by the church in order to appeal to the
conversion of pagans to Christianity.
ORNAMENTS began with a monk, St. Boniface. St. Boniface, born in England but sent to
Germany, was the first person to adapt the pagan practice of the evergreen
tree, which represented life in the middle of darkness to the people. St. Boniface told the people that the
triangle shape of the fir tree represented the trinity, God the father, Jesus
the Son, and the Holy Spirit. He began
to decorate the tree with white candles and red paper roses (representing Mary
the Virgin). From there the practice of
placing ORNAMENTS on the tree began to spread throughout all of Europe. The idea of adorning God with beautiful
ORNAMENTS made sense to the people and they delighted in making the fir tree
beautiful as a part of their religious practice.
ORNAMENTS originally found their
way to America, through beautiful glass ORNAMENTS from Germany. The practice was picked up by Hallmark early
on and they began making collectible ORNAMENTS which people shop for the latest
collectible to give as gifts at Christmas time.
As you decorate your tree with ORNAMENTS this year ask yourself about
how and why you chose your ORNAMENTS? Allow yourself to make this now mostly pagan
activity, a practice of story telling and family history making.
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