Christmas Symbols

1
Christmas Symbols
Advent marks the beginning of the liturgical
year. The word itself is from the Latin
ad-venio, to come to. It is the season in which
the faithful prepare for the anniversary of the
Lords Incarnation, his coming into the world as
the incarnate God of absolute love.
2
Christmas Symbols

• The Second Person of the Trinity joined a human
  nature with a view to dying on the cross in order
  to reconcile humanity to God.
• That is why all the symbols of Christmas point to
  ultimately to Easter.

3
The Christmas Tree
German speaking immigrants brought the tradition
of the Christmas tree to this country. The tree
is an "evergreen" and is one of the few trees
that does not die (in the sense of losing its
leaves) in winter. For this reason it is a symbol
of everlasting life, the precious gift from Jesus
to all believers. Recently our Holy Father gave
instructions that a Christmas tree be displayed
in St. Peter's Square during the Holy Season
celebrating the birth of Christ our Life.
4
The Wreath
In ancient Rome and Greece, athletes and heroes
were rewarded with wreaths as trophies in sports
or military battle. "To the victor goes the
crown" meant that the winners received a wreath
and were paraded before the people. Christ's
victory over the Evil One, accomplished on the
cross, is also symbolized by a wreath. The circle
of the wreath symbolized eternity, and we are at
the same time reminded of the crown He wore, and
how he was paraded through the streets of
Jerusalem for all to see.
5
Holly
Holly is a symbol that points to Holy Week. The
red symbolizes the blood of Christ for he
entered the world in order to die for us, to shed
his blood on the altar of the cross. The green
symbolizes the hope of everlasting life (the
evergreen). The thorns on the Holly represent
the crown of thorns he will wear on Holy Thursday
night and throughout his Passion.
6
The Candy Cane
On the night when Jesus was born, in a stable
near the hillsides of Bethlehem, some shepherds
were invited by the Angel to go and see the
newborn Messiah of Israel. After Mary and Joseph,
they were the first people on earth to adore this
Infant Savior. Their crooked shepherd staffs have
been memorialized in the candy canes which
decorate our Christmas trees and fill the
stockings of children. The stripes on the candy
canes represent the stripes that Christ will
receive on his back when he completes his mission
among us.
7
Ornaments
Decorating the Christmas tree with ornaments
comes from an old European custom when ornaments
were made from cookies and bread. These were hung
on the tree in thanks for "our daily bread". They
meant a special Christmas treat for the children,
too. Through the years these edible decorations
began to be made of carved wood and blown glass.
The tradition of edible decorations is still
carried on when we give and share special
Christmas breads and foods with friends and
relatives.
8
Christmas Bells
Bells announce. The gospel means good news
(Evanggelion Gk extraordinarily good news,
i.e., a military victory or the birth of a king).
The good news is to be announced, proclaimed.
The bells of Christmas symbolize the proclamation
of the good news.
9
Santa Claus
Translated, the words mean "St. Nicholas", a
Bishop of the Church who died in the middle of
the fourth century. His feast day is on December
the 6th. He was generous to the poor and always
give gifts secretly during the Advent season. It
has also been told that there were two poor
sisters at that time who could not afford dowries
and so could not be married. Nicholas provided
them with the dowries they needed in a large sac
and dropped it down the chimney of their house.
This is where the legend of Santa coming down the
chimney with presents came from. The Santa Claus
suit was originally the purple cassock of the
bishop. It was CoCa Cola that changed the color
from purple to red.