Christmas Superstitions About Trees
Unusual Christmas superstitions about everyone's favorite decoration! The Christmas Tree
It's hard to write too many articles about Christmas superstitions involving your tree -- there are literally hundreds of stories, legends, and myths about trees. So no matter how much of a Christmas buff you may be, there might be a few superstitions you have yet to encounter.
1. Spring, Spring, Come Around!
Long before anyone set up the first Christmas tree, people brought winter greenery into their homes. The superstition was that if you forgot this custom, spring might forget to return next season! Of course, that's not the only magic of the tree: winter greenery is thought to keep away witches, spirits, and other evil forces.
People would actually decorate greenery long before Christmas superstitions came about, but they'd decorate the bushes outside their homes. Why? Because they figured those evil spirits were looking for shelter (I guess they don't like winter, either) and they didn't want them moving into their homes.
2. The Yule Log
There are enough Christmas superstitions about the Yule log to fill their own book -- but one of the sweetest says that if you want good luck, you should cut the Yule log from this year's tree and let it cure until next Christmas. Of course, if you let that log go out during the twelve days of Christmas you're ruined: bad luck for the rest of the year. Keep adding wood but make sure a section of the original Yule log keeps burning.
3. Light up your Life
The original candles were placed on trees to frighten away the devil and evil spirits long before the tree was called a "Christmas tree." Romans started this tradition, and they took it a step further by attaching pieces of metal so the added reflections would further terrify those evil presences.
4. Apples Galore
If you've ever seen apple decorations on a tree, you probably didn't realize they were part of Christmas superstitions. In the eleventh century, before the official "Christmas tree" as we know it, people would decorate trees with apples on Christmas eve to encourage luck and plenty in the coming year.
If you love Christmas trees -- and really, who doesn't? -- these Christmas superstitions should help you enjoy your holiday season to its very fullest.