MANILA, Philippines - Christmas is certainly not complete without the Christmas tree. The tradition of setting up the tree has long been done in Germany using real evergreens or conifers, particularly Fir trees which do not shed needles or lose fragrance. However, since pine trees grow only in a few places in the Philippines, not everybody can afford to have a fresh Christmas tree. And due to plant conservation efforts abroad, most people have stopped using real trees.
In the United States and in Europe, popular live Christmas trees include various species of evergreens like Fir, Spruce, and Pine. Each has a distinguishing shape, needle color and fragrance which originate from the sap. In tropical country like ours, cut trees do not last long, as the needles or leaves shed off and fall, leaving a brown leafless mass of branches. This also would be a waste as the trees are just thrown away after the holidays.
Our Christmas trees are made of plastic and are mass-produced. The Philippine Christmas tree is unique as it uses various local materials, many of which are recycled. These include dried tree branches, coconut husks, plastic softdrink bottles and recycled paper, among others.
If you insist on using a real tree, you can try the evergreen tree species, particularly Agoho (Casuarina equisetifolia), Benguet pine (Pinus kesiya), the Baguio pine (Pinus insularis) or the ornamental cypress grown in large plastic containers. These live trees require utmost care. They must be regularly trimmed and nurtured to maintain the typical conical shape of a Christmas tree.
Native trees like the Narra, Talisay or even the Balite are now being dressed up as Christmas trees in municipalities. They are actually sites to behold at night, especially when adorned with Christmas lights, parols and other decorations.
However, we have to always remember spirit and true meaning of the Christmas tree, which symbolizes hope and exaltation of the value of life. An evergreen tree in winter is a sign of undying life, as it does not shed off its leaves as other trees do. It was in 2004 when Pope John Paul II mentioned how the Christmas tree reminds us as Christians of the "tree of life" of Genesis 2:9. The Christmas tree is an image of Christ, the supreme gift of God to humanity. The Pope further mentioned: "Beside the crib, the Christmas tree, with its twinkling lights, reminds us that with the birth of Jesus, the tree of life has blossomed anew in the desert of humanity. The crib and the tree: precious symbols, which hand down in time the true meaning of Christmas."
