O Christmas Tree
When members of St. Mark's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Butler gathered to decorate for Christmas this year, they admired not only the beauty and craftsmanship of their tree ornaments, but the meaning behind them.
Known as chrismons, the ornaments are made by parishioners to reflect names of Christ and symbols of Christian faith.
Made from a variety of materials, common chrismons include crosses, a manger shape, a downward-facing dove to symbolize the holy spirit, and the Greek letters, such as Chi Rho — the Greek name for Christ.
The tradition of chrismons originated 50 years ago at Ascension Lutheran Church in Danville, Va.
"There was much concern then, as there is now, about the commercialization of Christmas," said the Rev. Al Towberman, pastor at St. Mark's.
Francis Kipps Spencer, a member at the Danville church, created the original ornaments in 1957 and added to the collection over the years.
The name was created by joining the words Christ and monogram, as many of the ornaments reflect names used for Christ.
As word of her project grew, Spencer created pattern books now used by many denominations as guidelines for creating their own chrismon trees.Made from a variety of materials and by congregations with a differing skills, the look, type and number of chrismons varies from church to church.Most however, are white and gold and hung on an evergreen tree with white lights.This year, the congregation of St. Mark's created a new set of chrismons to decorate their tree.To mark the occasion, Towberman is assembling an informational packet about chrismons to distribute to his church members and visitors.As well as explaining the meaning behind each fish, letter and crown, the research says colors are also significant.Gold symbolizes Christ's majesty and glory, while white symbolizes his purity and perfection. According to Towberman, the evergreen tree was also symbolic of eternal life and the white lights symbolize Christ as the light of the world.The handmade creations can be basic or ornate, reflecting the time and individual talents of their creators."Some of ours look a little different," said the Rev. Bill Hastings, pastor at Harrisville United Methodist Church.Made several years ago by children of the church, many of the vinyl shapes, coated with glitter glue, reflect the less precise hands of young workers.
Though they may not be as ornate and neatly decorated as chrismons at other churches, Hastings noted the meaning is still as powerful."The main point is to make sure the focus is on Christ and the birth of Christ," he said.To reiterate to his congregation the value of chrismons, last year, Hastings incorporated decorating the church into a Sunday service. Before hanging several of the chrismons, he displayed them for the congregation and explained the meaning behind them.About a dozen women at St. Mark's also learned more about chrismons this year while constructing new one for their tree.The church's first chrismons, now 30 years old, were showing signs of age. Many made from styrofoam were damaged or completely destroyed after years of packing and unpacking."They weren't' worthy of our best to the Lord," said Towberman.Using patterns from books sold by the Danville church, crafters chose from satin, beads and wire or felt to create the symbols.During preliminary meetings at the end of summer, the group set a goal of making 45 chrismons for each of their two trees that stand in the front of the church.As the results of the work were collected, however, it was obvious that that goal was far exceeded.
"I loved it so,"said Dottie Slomer of Butler, who alone made 150 chrismons.Sewing the stuffed satin figures with a sewing machine and decorating them with glue, glitter and beads, she enjoyed reading about each symbol's meaning as she created it."(The work)isn't important," she said. "It wasn't a burden."Towberman said several of the crafters told him the work was meaningful on a personal level."The ladies, as they came together, have really experienced wonderful things in their lives."It became much more than a craft, it became a faith-deepening experience."Towberman's wife Sandy, also an ordained minister, helped create new chrismons for the church as she had in several former congregations."I particularly like them because they're great teachers,"she said of the chrismons.Though, while making the ornaments, much of her concentration goes into her intricate beadwork, she looked forward to sharing the results with the congregation."It's very meaningful to me and inspiring that people value them.The new chrismons were dedicated during weekend services Dec. 8 and 9 and were hung on the trees shortly after.
As per the church's liturgical schedule, Towberman said the decorations will remain up until the Epiphany on Jan. 6.His hope is that his members and the local community will take the time to view the chrismons and reinforce the connection between Christmas and the birth of Christ.
