noel autor: November 2025

One of the traditions during the Christmas season is the setting up of Christmas trees in homes and public places. The practice originated in Europe and was brought to the Americas by European immigrants. The Philippines being a former colony of Spain and the United States has adopted to the western culture and traditions including the celebration of Christmas. Originally, the setting up of Christmas tree was practiced by Lutheran and protestant Christians. Although it was not a Catholic practice, Filipinos nevertheless adapted to it.

In 1982, Pope John Paul II introduced the Christmas tree custom to the Vatican, and since then Christmas tree has become an integral part of Vatican Christmas celebration. In 2005, Pope Benedict XVI spoke of it as part of normal decoration in Catholic homes. The Popes declarations validated the Catholic faithful’s Christmas tree tradition.

When I was little, Christmas tree always decorated my family’s home during the Christmas season. My mother preferred to have a fresh cut natural pine tree to decorate on. It was adorned with different colored baubles, stars, tinsels, and paper ornaments. Christmas lights were added later as years went by.

In my elementary school it was customary for our classrooms to be decorated with Christmas tree during the yuletide seasons. Since pine trees were hard to come by, we went to swamp where mangrove trees abound. We then brought the tree to school and stripped it of its leaves. Its trunk, its branches and its twigs were then wrapped with green crepe paper, and adorned it with tinsels, baubles, cards, bells, and stars.

Over the years, the use of natural trees for Christmas decorations has gradually become out of fashion because of government policy of tree protection and the difficulty and hassle of cutting off trees and bringing them home. Taking their place are the artificial trees that are mostly imported from China. What is good about it is that they are easy to install and are recyclable for the next Christmas season. Some even come with decorations already on them.

Christmas trees are also displayed in public places such as big malls and other establishments. In SM Downtown and SM Uptown mega malls in giant artificial trees with elaborate adornments and lightings are a sight to delight with. These decorations give ambience of a joyful Yuletide season inside the malls.

Although some Christian sects consider Christmas tree as pagan in origin, some denominations including the Catholic consider the Christmas tree as compatible to Christian tradition. For them, the green tree represents the tree of life which is the full eternal life that God wishes to lavish on humanity. The lighted candles which were replaced by electric Christmas lights today are the shining lights of Jesus. The star on the top of the tree symbolizes the , and the angel represents the Angel Gabriel.