Can you imagine...

Christmas without a Christmas tree? We choose spruces, firs and pines for our Christmas tree. What we don't realize is how incredible these trees are.

According to this article I read - Five things you didn't know about Christmas (http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20141220-five-christmas-tree-secrets) - these trees can 'survive drastic temperature swings, grow to towering heights and create ecosystems that shelter strange and wonderful creatures.' They, in fact, have touch, tenacious lives.

I asked myself why these particular trees were chosen at this particular time, for this particular celebration. Yes, we put the wreath on the front door to welcome everyone, and light the Advent candles to remember the birth of Jesus, but I had never wondered why this particular tree was chosen as the Christmas tree.

At home, the Christmas tree had pride of place in our garden, and come the days after Thanksgiving, my Dad would start work on the tree - clipping off the dead leaves, and sprucing it up, painting the pot and then finally with great ceremony the tree would be brought in and kept at the window of the drawing room. We would all get together to decorate it, with carols playing in the background and singing along, and finally my Dad would drape little fairy lights on the tree. This was really special. When we used to come back from our games or late lessons, cycling home in the cold, we'd see the lights twinkling through the window.....it was so special.

Today, after reading this article I realize that this tree, this very special tree symbolizes how our life should be. (It doesn't matter whether we have a real tree or an artificial one - the symbolism is the same). While we celebrate the birth of the beloved Christ child, this is the way our lives also should be...tough, tenacious, survive all the drastic swings of life without crumbling or breaking, grow to towering heights in our mind and hearts and above all deep inside us, shelter and be sheltered in the love of the Christ child.