O Christmas tree!

We were decorating our Christmas tree at home, struggling to get the color combinations right. We managed to put on a good looking one and finally hung a "XMAS 2011" cut-out. A guest had dropped in that evening and he asked us why was Christmas also called Xmas? I didn't know. That evening as I was reading an article, I came across a line that said, 

"In God's eyes, why you do something is more important than what you do." 

Point taken. I even posted that line on facebook and twitter for the impact that it had on me. I immediately sat down to take note of why the Christmas tree was being set up and what it symbolized. Here's what I found out :

Why is Christmas called XMAS?

Jesus Christ in Greek is ΙΗΣΟΥΣ ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ. The first alphabet of Christ is X(in Greek). Hence, the name!

And now, to the tree..

The wood represents the cross upon which Jesus died for our sins so that we can have an everlasting life with Him and this "everlasting life" is symbolized by the color green.

The stars that are hung outside houses or used as a tree topper symbolize the Star of Bethlehem that guided the wise men to the Savior(Matthew 2:9,10).

The angels represent the choir of angels that heralded the birth of Jesus that led the shepherds to the manger to worship their Savior(Luke 2:8-12)

The lights/candles symbolize the birth of Jesus into this world. In John 8:12, Jesus said that He is the light of the world. He stepped down into our dark lives, opened our eyes and let us see. And I love what Eva K. Logue said about the candle :

 "A Christmas candle is a lovely thing; It makes no noise at all, but softly gives itself away; while quite unselfish, it grows small."

It perfectly represents what Jesus did for you and me on the Cross. He never complained. He quietly humbled Himself and gave up His life for you and me to have an eternal life.

The candy canes represent the crook with which a shepherd guides his flock, defends and saves. Jesus said that He is the good shepherd and we are the sheep.(John 10:11,14) The question we need to ask ourselves is,"Are we in His flock or are we scattered and led astray?" For He guides, defends and saves us when we belong to His flock.

Finally, the most important gifts under the tree(:P). Christmas gave us the gift of Jesus. As a symbol of gratitude for all He has done, people exchange gifts. But let us remember that

 "The magic of Christmas is not in the presents but in His presence."

So, there you go. This is what I managed to find out. But remember that the gifts and the decorations do not define Christmas. Jesus is the reason for this season.

"And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more." - Dr. Seuss

Have a Christ-centered Christmas season!

And next time you do something, ensure that you know why you are doing it.

Here's a pic of the Christmas tree that we set up in our home..

-Signing off still in awe of how my God uses every occasion to teach me something new!