Oh Christmas Tree

O Christmas tree, O Christmas Tree,
What happiness befalls me;
When oft at
Joyous Christmas time,
Your form inspires my
Song and rhyme….

I love Christmas, and I especially love decorating. We have two potted Norfolk Island pines that we have had for years. Rick leaves his decorated all year! I like having live potted trees, I think Arbor Day and Christmas should be combined, that way we can plant our little trees out in our yards and watch them grow, just a thought.

Today I’ll discuss evergreens in general and pine trees in particular. After all, since this is a food column I do plan to discuss that tasty little pine nut.

The smell of pine instantly sends me into a mild trance; I see the needles on the tree and instantly feel a rush of crisp cold fresh mountain air. It’s beautiful. Memories of Christmas past swirl through my head. I believe most of us experience something close to this. The Christmas tree has evolved from a plethora of ancient traditions.
Egyptians brought the green date palm leaves in their homes to symbolize life’s triumph over death.

The Romans celebrated the winter solstice they called Saturnalia after Satunus, the god of agriculture. They decorated their homes with red and green, lights, and exchanged gifts. They gave coins for prosperity, pastries for happiness and lamps to light ones journey through life. World wide the Evergreen tree has been chosen because they stay forever green, withstand strong winds and survive extreme heat and cold. The Evergreen is believed to possess special powers and gifts. Ancient Druids hung pine branches over their doors to ward off demons. In the myths of China and Japan the pine tree represented their Tree of Life. It was believed drinking an elixir made from the sap, or (soul substance) would give the gift of immortality.

In the New World southwestern natives considered pinon pines to be magical and medicinal. They also used pine nuts as a vital source of nutrition. The pine branches were used to make ritual wands, and the pitch was used for protection from evil spirits. The Hopi smeared the pitch onto their foreheads to
protect them from sorcerers, and the Navaho smeared the pitch on corpses before they buried them.

Our modern Christmas tree came to us from German and Scandinavian immigrants in the early 1700’s. Another story of the origin is that of Martin Luther who is said to have added lights to his tree in order to simulate the reflections of the starlit heaven that looked down on Bethlehem on the first Christmas Eve.

The Christmas tree as well as other traditions originating with the winter solstice were considered pagan by the Puritans and banned in the early1800’s in New England. If one were to miss work on Christmas day they could be put in jail. These were strict anti-Christmas laws. Today just the opposite is happening; pagans are attempting to ban the use of what they believe to be Christian symbols in pubic buildings.

By the early 1900’s 1 in 5 families in America erected a Christmas tree. The tree farms sprang up during the depression when farmers could no longer sell their trees for landscaping. Oregon is the Christmas tree capitol of the world boasting the sale of 7.3 million trees in 2006. Most of these came from Clackamas County. Tree farmers do have reason to be concerned. Times are changing; last year only 30% of Americans bought real trees while 45% opted for fake ones. The rest of us buy live potted trees or have no tree at all. Now, I’ll get back to the pine tree.

Pine trees have medicinal value, if you add a few needles or drops of essential oil to a vaporizer it helps prevent colds, chest infections and coughs. Pine is good for treating bronchitis and sinitis. It is also good for treating sore muscles and cystitis. Pine scent is added to men’s fragrances and bath products. I love a man that smells like a tree.

We are all familiar with those little trees hanging in cars. And of course who hasn’t mopped a floor with Pinesol? There is also the pine nut. Pine nuts contain fatty acids, protein, vitamin E and potassium, zinc and magnesium. Pine nut oil is a rich oil and best for drizzling on foods like salads. Today’s recipe is Pesto.

PESTO

2 Tbsp. Pine nuts
2 Cloves garlic
3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 cups fresh basil
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
¼ tsp. Salt
Put everything in a blender or food processor and pulse until it is finely minced.
This is great on pasta or Rick’s favorite is on Pizza.

Enjoy!

To reach Crystal email: Crystalhayes@peak.org