'''-The Great Light-'''

Light represents God's Holiness. Holiness is expressed through law, judgment, condemnation, and separation. God's nature did not change when he said “Let there be Light” for the attributes of Holiness were hidden in His name, Elohim. The childish pun 'a lo khoom' means 'not dark'. The light was made manifest as soon as there was something created to be separate from.

'''-Evening and Morning-'''

We celebrate Christmas on Christmas evening and Christmas morning. Evening and morning act as the mediator, or the buffer, between Light and Dark or Holiness and Grace. We can't understand holiness and grace if they are all mixed up. If a judge lets a criminal go free, we say there is no justice. If the parent doesn't care for the child who has hurt himself, because the child did something stupid and deserved it, then we say there is no grace.

'''-The waters-'''

Water is a symbol of the word of God. We place a bucket of water for the tree to remind us of Christ's baptism to fulfill all righteousness.

'''-The tree-'''

The tree represents the cross. When we say the cross, we don't just mean the wooden tool of execution. We refer to it as a metaphor for all that happened at the cross.

'''-The evergreen tree-'''

We choose an evergreen tree which is cut at the root. It is cut at the root to indicate that Jesus, in the flesh, bore our sins in judgment.

'''-Garlands-'''

Garlands wrap and bind the tree just as Abraham bound Isaac as a symbol of Christ dying for us. The symbol is supposed to be that of thorns such as those that entrapped the ram which replaced Isaac. The thorns represent the cares of the world. The ram (as Christ) died because he cared for the world.

'''-Tinsel-'''

Tinsel represents grass, which is the same symbol as the bread of communion. Since we are the sheep (cattle of His pasture), we eat of Him and be full.

'''-Small lights-'''

Jesus said that we are the light of the world. But we are only small lights in the firmament. We place the small lights in the tree to represent that we are the children of Abraham (stars).

'''-Decorations of odds and ends-'''

:Ps 55:22 Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.

'''-The tree is put in the home-'''

God wishes to dwell with men.

The people of Israel “did what was right in their own eyes' making themselves to be equal to God, and he judged them by letting their enemies torment them.

The Pharisees pretended to be Holy based on rules they had made, again making themselves to be equal with God.

But it is all designed to point us back to God. When we recognize that things are not the way they are supposed to be, we are recognizing that there is a way that they are supposed to be as designed by God.

The pre-eminent symbol of the tree is that of the lights and we use them to remind us of the Holiness of God so that he might dwell intimately with us.

I doubt a pagan would think my tree was pagan. In fact I think they stole and perverted symbols from scripture. Some think I sin in celebrating Christmas the way I do.