Christmas Symbols Advent marks the beginning of the liturgical year. The word itself is from the Latin ad-venio, to come to. It is the season in which the faithful prepare for the anniversary of the Lord’s Incarnation, his coming into the world as the incarnate God of absolute love.

Christmas Symbols The Second Person of the Trinity joined a human nature with a view to dying on the cross in order to reconcile humanity to God. That is why all the symbols of Christmas point to ultimately to Easter.

The Christmas Tree German speaking immigrants brought the tradition of the Christmas tree to this country. The tree is an "evergreen" and is one of the few trees that does not die (in the sense of losing its leaves) in winter. For this reason it is a symbol of everlasting life, the precious gift from Jesus to all believers. Recently our Holy Father gave instructions that a Christmas tree be displayed in St. Peter's Square during the Holy Season celebrating the birth of Christ our Life.

The Wreath In ancient Rome and Greece, athletes and heroes were rewarded with wreaths as trophies in sports or military battle. "To the victor goes the crown" meant that the winners received a wreath and were paraded before the people. Christ's victory over the Evil One, accomplished on the cross, is also symbolized by a wreath. The circle of the wreath symbolized eternity, and we are at the same time reminded of the crown He wore, and how he was paraded through the streets of Jerusalem for all to see.

Holly Holly is a symbol that points to Holy Week. The red symbolizes the blood of Christ; for he entered the world in order to die for us, to shed his blood on the altar of the cross. The green symbolizes the hope of ‘everlasting life’ (the evergreen). The thorns on the Holly represent the crown of thorns he will wear on Holy Thursday night and throughout his Passion.

The Candy Cane: On the night when Jesus was born, in a stable near the hillsides of Bethlehem, some shepherds were invited by the Angel to go and see the newborn Messiah of Israel. After Mary and Joseph, they were the first people on earth to adore this Infant Savior. Their crooked shepherd staffs have been memorialized in the candy canes which decorate our Christmas trees and fill the stockings of children. The stripes on the candy canes represent the stripes that Christ will receive on his back when he completes his mission among us.

Ornaments: Decorating the Christmas tree with ornaments comes from an old European custom when ornaments were made from cookies and bread. These were hung on the tree in thanks for "our daily bread". They meant a special Christmas treat for the children, too. Through the years these edible decorations began to be made of carved wood and blown glass. The tradition of edible decorations is still carried on when we give and share special Christmas breads and foods with friends and relatives.

Christmas Bells Bells announce. The gospel means ‘good news’ (Evanggelion: Gk: extraordinarily good news, i.e., a military victory or the birth of a king). The good news is to be announced, proclaimed. The bells of Christmas symbolize the proclamation of the good news.

Santa Claus: Translated, the words mean "St. Nicholas", a Bishop of the Church who died in the middle of the fourth century. His feast day is on December the 6th. He was generous to the poor and always give gifts secretly during the Advent season. It has also been told that there were two poor sisters at that time who could not afford dowries and so could not be married. Nicholas provided them with the dowries they needed in a large sac and dropped it down the chimney of their house. This is where the legend of Santa coming down the chimney with presents came from. The Santa Claus suit was originally the purple cassock of the bishop. It was CoCa Cola that changed the color from purple to red.