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Christmas

The Green, Prickly Things of Christmas

The Green, Prickly Things of Christmas
Reading Level
     edHelper's suggested reading level:   grades 5 to 8
     Flesch-Kincaid grade level:   7.15

Vocabulary
     challenging words:    czechoslovakian, felling, ingenious, kind-hearted, life-giving, mistletoe, pagan, solstice, swedish, ritual, monk, punched, fans, meaningful, supposedly, musical
     content words:    Bright Christmas, Saint Boniface, Christian Church, Christmas Eve, Prince Albert, Queen Victoria, Windsor Castle, Wealthy English, In Japan, In Scandinavia

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The Green, Prickly Things of Christmas
By Colleen Messina 		  
1     Many of us love soft, white winter snow, but there are green things during Christmas, too. Green and prickly things, to be exact, but not just the Grinch! Bright Christmas trees, shiny holly, and mistletoe help to make the season cheery. Do Santa's elves have secret green thumbs? And how did decking our homes with these green, prickly things become a part of Christmas?
 
2     Christmas trees begin magically appearing in stores as early as October. This is almost as mystifying as the many legends about their origins. One legend says that Saint Boniface, an English monk who started the Christian Church in France and Germany, started the Christmas tree tradition. It all began when he found a group of pagans who were gathered around an oak tree. Nearby, a cold child trembled with fear.
 
3     The child had a right to be scared because the pagans were about to sacrifice him to their god! Thor was symbolized by the great, six-foot-wide oak. Apparently, Saint Boniface punched the tree with his bare fist, being strong in both body and spirit. The tree promptly fell over, and the pagans' mouths fell open since Boniface had ruined their ceremony. Other versions of the story say that the saint used an ax, but even so, the felling of the tree shocked the pagan tribe.
 
4     The flabbergasted pagans expected that Thor would strike back right away, but they were wrong. Their god didn't do a thing. He didn't defend his tree! Then, a splendid fir tree grew in its place, and the saint told the astounded pagans that it was the Tree of Life. He said the tree was a symbol of the eternal life of Christ. Some of the heathen were converted to the new faith. Saint Boniface has been called the "tamer of tribes."
 
5     Another legend says that a poor woodsman met a cold, hungry child on Christmas Eve. He brought the child home, fed him a hot meal, and tucked him into a warm bed for the night. The next day, the kind-hearted woodsman found a surprise. A glittering tree stood outside of his door. The Christ child had disguised himself as the lost child and rewarded the woodsman with the first Christmas tree!

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