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For centuries, the Christmas tree has been one of the most common symbols to remind us of the approaching festivities. Legend has it that one of the first times the fir tree was used in reference to Christmas was during the seventh century, when a monk from Crediton in Devonshire travelled to Germany to teach the word of God.
He used the triangular shape of the tree to describe the Holy Trinity of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and the converted people started to look on the fir as God’s tree. Subsequently, by the 12th century the fir tree could be seen hung upside down from ceilings across Central Europe as a symbol of Christianity at Christmastime, though the first decorated tree didn’t actually appear until 1510.
The idea of decorating a tree inadvertently came from German monk Martin Luther. Returning home one wintry night, he was amazed by the sight of stars twinkling in the sky through the tree branches and, eager to recreate the beautiful sight for his family, he cut down a small fir tree and took it home to decorate with candles. Christmas markets soon sold decorations such as gingerbread, sugar twists and flowers to hang on the tree, with the colour red representing knowledge and white, innocence.
Of course, nowadays, Christmas trees lining high street shops and twinkling in residential homes are decorated with plastic baubles, tinsel and electric lights, rather than homemade paper-chains or sugared almonds of days gone by. And, in our busier lives it is inevitable that traditions, such as self-made decorations or homemade gifts, have been manipulated by manufacturers to make Christmas easier to create. But I never like to see it go so far as an artificial tree. (Though attractions obviously include the convenience of using it again each year, tidiness and no danger of pine needle injuries, PVC trees are non-biodegradable and last for centuries in a landfill).
Last year, I spent my first Christmas in Scotland, after my family (aunt, uncle and grandparents included!) bought an old country house near Stirling. In England, we always bought our tree from the man ‘down the road’, so I wondered where we were going to source a new centrepiece for the festivities.
Despite the neighbours’ insistence that holidays are always wet and dreary by the Ochil Hills, a white blanket of snow covered our home. The house appeared as out of a storybook; decked out with holly sprigs, clove-oranges and hanging flowers, log fires burning and a
In this month's issue Alan Cochrane writes about new penalties for wildlife crimes. Do you think it would be fair to ban keepers for life for certain wildlife crimes?
