Bauble-dripping tree
We cherish for just two weeks
Our Christmas comfort….
That was a haiku I wrote for a Marlow Writers’ Society Christmas gathering. I love to see a heavily-laden Christmas tree. I don’t bother to get one for my sad little flat, because early December is a great time to visit National Trust properties that put on colourful, imaginative Christmas-themed displays. Petworth in West Sussex puts on a spectacular show, and smaller properties such as Hinton Ampner (Hampshire) and Mottisfont (Hampshire) are also worth investigating.
In “Heroes and Traitors”, the Followers of Truth ban the festivals of the Sudarite religion, and try to impose their faith, which they regard as rational and true. However, they have to be pragmatic, as many of their own converts still cling to some symbolic traditions. When the Father of the People announces that the two shortest days of winter will be days of reflection, there is widespread relief in Kimalloa. Nevertheless, the new regime regards practices such as decorating the house with evergreens as suspicious.
The Soviet government of the 1920s came up with a similar compromise in their suppression of the Orthodox Church. They regarded Christmas as bourgeois, banned it, and encouraged New Year celebrations, including decorated trees.
The decorating of homes with evergreens in winter is a tradition that goes back into the mists of time. It is certainly pre-Roman. Evergreens symbolised the victory of life over darkness. Early Christians opposed the practice, but like many aspects of folklore, it endured and eventually became associated with Christian festivals.
In northern and eastern Europe, many countries claim to have recorded the first Christmas tree in medieval times. We know that Christmas trees were popular in Germany by the 18th century, because it was Queen Charlotte who introduced the decorated fir tree into the British royal household.
Queen Victoria and Prince Albert made the Christmas Tree popular in Britain in the 19th century. Since then, we have gone crazy for Christmas trees. Today, we reflect on whether we should have a real tree or a recyclable plastic tree, but rarely do we question why we bring a tree into our houses to create a safety hazard and mess! But we have a human need for colour, light and hope at the darkest time of year, and the Christmas tree gives it all.
Photo: Christmas tree at Hinton Ampner, a National Trust property in Hampshire, UK.
