› Chrismon Tree

December 2019
in the Narthex

Our Chrismon Tree: Ornaments Tell the Christmas Story

hroughout the Advent and Christmas seasons a Chrismon tree in the narthex invites us to worship at the manger. Regardless of which worship service you attend on Sunday morning or how you usually get to that place, make an effort at some point this month to pause and enjoy the stories that its white and gold ornaments have to tell. What exactly, you may wonder, makes it a chrismon tree rather than a Christmas tree? The term chrismon is an abbreviation of the Latin phrase “Christi monogramma,” which means “monogram of Christ.” Each ornament on this tree 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. Many 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 can be found in the narthex and outside the church office.