All material not otherwise copyrighted, is copyrighted by Bob Lunzer 1999 - 2000. The Christmas tree, as well as many other symbols we associate with Christmas, were originally pagan symbols usually associated with celebrations of the winter solstice. The celebration Christ's birth was set at the same time of year as the Roman Saturnalia. Saturnalia began immediately after the winter solstice and ran for a week, which brings us to New Year's Eve. Saturnalia was the feast celebrating prosperity.
Prosperity means business and economic success, good family relations, friends, and so on.
The tree was adopted by Christians after Christianity spread into Druidic areas of Europe. The tree continued to be used by Roman and other gentile converts to Christianity. If we are going to use the Christmas tree, we should be conscious of how we use the tree. The tree should be used to reinforce Christian principles, beliefs, and stories through the way we decorate the tree. Some people think that our use of Christmas trees is wrong because pagan religions used the tree.