oon after Thanksgiving volunteers arrive to set up a tall evergreen tree in the Narthex. On Sunday mornings throughout all of Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany (December 1 – January 5) it will be lighted and decorated with “Chrismon” ornaments. These are ornaments with stories to tell. The term “Chrismon” is an abbreviation of the Latin phrase “Christi monogramma,” which means “monogram of Christ.” Each ornament is a symbol representing Christ. The Chi-Rho cross is formed by the first two letters of the Greek spelling of Christ, Chi (X) and Rho (P). The five-pointed star symbolizes the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem. Some are obvious – the angels proclaiming His birth, the chalice reminding us of communion, and so forth. Others are more obscure. Flyers explaining the meaning of each shape will be available in the narthex.