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Dreaming of a Green Christmas
| Article
# : |
10360 |
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Section : |
Life
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| Issue
Date : |
12 / 1986 |
1,745 Words |
| Author
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Rosemary G. Rennicke
Rosemary G. Rennicke is a freelance writer from Buckingham,
Pennsylvania, who specializes in interior design and antiques. |
There's a dear old tree,
an evergreen tree,
and it blossoms once a year:
Tis loaded with fruit from top to root,
And it brings to all good cheer,
For its blossoms bright are small candles white
And its fruit is dolls and toys.
And they are all free for both you and me
If we're good little girls and boys.
-----Luella Wilson Smith
Though Irving Berlin, with a little help from crooner Bing Crosby, would have us dream otherwise, the color of Christmas is green, not white. While Christmas may not always mean snow--there have been plenty of balmy holidays on record, even in the bone chilling Blizzard Belt--it has included some type of living greenery from the earliest celebrations.
Green plants have played a part in festivals and rituals since the days of dynastic Egypt. Ancient Romans filled their homes with greens from the Kalends of January, and European pagan peoples treasured evergreens for their everlasting life during dormant winters.
As Christianity spread its message throughout Europe, a tangle of green plants trailed along, each ascribed a particular association with the Virgin or a saint. The herb rosemary, for instance, related to Mary, because, it is said, she laid her blue cloak to dry
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