Christmas tree

This is comparable to the Old English poem The Dream of the Rood. Even though in monotheistic religions, the God is considered to represent love, there are often angels or similar beings that represent love as well. Some churches use the same stripped Christmas tree as a Christian cross at Easter. Here is a list of the gods and goddesses of love in different mythologies. Such individuals and Christian denominations are unlikely to celebrate Christmas at all, for the same reason, such as the United Church of God. Different cultures have deified love, typically in both male and female form. Some Christians, again a minority, feel that since "Christmas Trees" are not biblically ordained, they should not be used. Romantic love per se has few echoes in Jewish literature, although the medieval rabbi Judah Halevi wrote romantic poetry in Arabic in his younger years (he appears to have regretted this later).

The only consistancies with Christmas tree customs seem to be that both are made of wood and both are decorated. I). They would also carry it from place to place as an object to be feared and worshipped. The 20th-century rabbi Eliyahu Eliezer Dessler is frequently quoted as defining love from the Jewish point-of-view as "giving without expecting to take" (from his Michtav me-Eliyahu, vol. A full study of the passage shows that the people would cut down a tree and work it with a chisel to engrave an image in it. The Biblical book Song of Songs is a considered a romantically-phrased metaphor of love between God and his people, but in its plain reading reads like a love song. In other English translations of the Bible the verses more explicitly refer to the practice of making idols to be worshipped:. As for love between marital partners, this is deemed an essential ingredient to life: "See life with the wife you love" (Ecclesiastes 9:9).

Interpreting those verses as a ban on Christmas trees may be more common among individuals and Christian denominations that are part of the King-James-Only Movement. by contemplating Divine deeds or witnessing the marvels of nature. Some Christians, albeit a minority, feel that the practice of having "Christmas Trees" is prohibited by the Book of Jeremiah 10:1-5 which says,. Rabbinic literature differs how this love can be developed, e.g. A recent campaign spearheaded by conservative Fox News Channel contributors Bill O'Reilly and Sean Hannity has resulted in a backlash from some Christian groups and individuals who feel the designation "holiday tree" is part of an alleged war on Christmas. As for the latter, one is commanded to love God "with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your might" (Deuteronomy 6:5), taken by the Mishnah (a central text of the Jewish oral law) to refer to good deeds, willingness to sacrifice one's life rather than commit certain serious transgressions, willingness to sacrifice all one's possessions and being grateful to the Lord despite adversity (tractate Berachoth 9:5). The term holiday tree has, since at least 1990 (and perhaps before), been used by some in the United States, Canada and the UK to reflect the winter holiday season instead of any specific religious holiday. As for the former, the Torah states: "Love your neighbor like yourself" (Leviticus 19:18).

The term comes from the appearance of Charlie Brown's Christmas tree in the TV special A Charlie Brown Christmas. Judaism employs a wide definition of love, both between people and between man and the Deity. Some tree buyers intentionally adopt such trees, feeling sympathetic to their plights. Other related but dissimilar terms are Chen (grace) and Hesed, which basically combines the meaning of "affection" and "compassion" and is sometimes rendered in English as "loving-kindness". The term Charlie Brown Christmas tree can be used to described any sad-looking, malformed little tree. In Hebrew Ahava is the most commonly used term for both interpersonal love and love of God. President Jimmy Carter only lit the crowning star atop the Tree in 1979 in honor of the Americans being held hostage in Iran; in 1980, the tree was only fully lit for 417 seconds, one second for each day the hostages had been in captivity. A common viewpoint of Sufism is that through Love humankind can get back to its inherent purity and grace.

Today, the lighting of the National Tree is part of what has become a major holiday event at the White House. God in Sufism is referred to in three main terms which are the Lover, Loved, and Beloved with the last of these terms being often seen in Sufi poetry. The United States' National Christmas Tree is lit each year south of the White House in Washington, D.C. Sufism is oftentimes referred to as the religion of Love. In some cases the trees represent special commemorative gifts, such as in Trafalgar Square in London where the City of Oslo presents a tree to the people of London as a token of appreciation for the British support of Norwegian resistance during the Second World War and in Newcastle upon Tyne, where the 15 m tall main civic Christmas tree is an annual gift from the city of Bergen, Norway in thanks for the part played by soldiers from Newcastle in liberating Bergen from Nazi occupation. Since everything is a reflection of God, the school of Sufism practices to see the beauty inside the apparently ugly. In some cities festivals are organised around the decoration and display of multiple trees as charity events. God desires to recognize beauty, and as if one looks at a mirror to see oneself, God "looks" at itself within the dynamics of nature.

Many cities, towns, and department stores put up public Christmas trees outdoors for everyone to enjoy, such as the Rich's Great Tree in Atlanta, the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree in New York City and the large Christmas tree at Victoria Square in Adelaide. Sufis believe that love is a projection of the essence of God to the universe. The "First Christmas Tree in America" is also claimed by Easton, Pennsylvania, where German settlers purportedly erected a Christmas tree in 1816. Ishq, or divine love, is the emphasis of Sufism. Windsor Locks, Connecticut claims that a Hessian soldier put up a Christmas tree in 1777 while imprisoned at the Noden-Reed House, thus making it the home of the first Christmas tree in New England. All who hold the faith have God's love, but to what degree or effort he has pleased God depends on the individual itself. There are several cities in the United States which lay claim to that country's first Christmas tree. One still has God's love, but how the person evaluates his own worth is to his own and God's own counsel.

Such patriotic prints of the British royal family at Christmas celebrations helped popularise the Christmas tree in Britain and among the anglophile American upper class. In Islam, love is more often than not used as an incentive for sinners to aspire to be as worthy of God's love as they may. Images of the royal family with their Christmas tree at Osborne House were illustrated in English magazines, initially as a woodcut in the Illustrated London News of December 1848, and copied in the United States at Christmas 1850 (illustration, left). It refers to God as being "full of loving kindness". The generous Prince Albert also presented large numbers of trees to schools and army barracks at Christmas. There are no direct references stating that God is love, but amongst the 99 names of God (Allah), there is the name Al-Wadud or 'the Loving One', which is found in Surah 11:90 as well as Surah 85:14. In 1847, Prince Albert wrote: "I must now seek in the children an echo of what Ernest [his brother] and I were in the old time, of what we felt and thought; and their delight in the Christmas-trees is not less than ours used to be". In a sense, love does encompass the Islamic view of life as universal brotherhood which applies to all who hold the faith.

After her marriage to her German cousin, Prince Albert, the custom became even more widespread. The booklet Narada bhakti sutra written by an unknown author distinguishes eleven forms of love. All the presents being placed round the trees...". Hindu writers, theologians, and philosophers have distinguished nine forms of devotion that they call bhakti, for example in the Bhagavatha-Purana and according to Tulsidas. Queen Victoria as a child was familiar with the custom, in her journal for Christmas Eve 1832, the delighted 13-year-old Princess wrote: "After dinner...we then went into the drawing-room near the dining-room...There were two large round tables on which were placed two trees hung with lights and sugar ornaments. A person who practices bhakti is called bhakta. In Britain, the Christmas tree was introduced by King George III's German Queen Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, but did not spread much beyond the royal family. Bhakti is a Sanskrit term from Hinduism meaning 'loving devotion to the supreme God'.

In France, the first Christmas tree was introduced in 1840 by the duchess of Orleans. Karuna is compassion and mercy, which reduces the suffering of others. Princess Henrietta von Nassau-Weilburg introduced the Christmas tree to Vienna in 1816, and the custom spread across Austria in the following years. In contrast to kāma, prema or prem refers to elevated love. In the early 19th century, the custom became popular among the nobility and spread to royal courts as far as Russia. For many Hindu schools it is the third end in life (artha). It was regarded as a Protestant custom by the Catholic majority along the lower Rhine, and was spread there only by Prussian officials who were moved there in the wake of the Congress of Vienna in 1815. In Hinduism kāma is pleasurable, sexual love, personified by the god Kama.

The Christmas tree remained confined to the upper Rhineland for a relatively long time. Many Christian theologians see God as the source of love, which is mirrored in humans and their relationships. Wax candles are attested from the late 18th century. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but the save the world through him." (NIV John 3:16-17). By the early 18th century, the custom had become common in towns of the upper Rhineland, but it had not yet spread to rural areas. John the Apostle wrote, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. One Strasbourg priest, Johann Konrad Dannerhauer, complains about the custom as distracting from the word of God. Christians also believe that God felt so much agape love for man that he sacrificed his son for them.

During the 17th century, the custom entered family homes. Love never fails."(NIV 13:4-8). The city of Riga, Latvia claims to be home of the first holiday tree, an octagonal plaque in the town square reads "The First New Years Tree in Riga in 1510", in eight different languages. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres. Another early reference is from Basel, where the taylor apprentices carried around town a tree decorated with apples and cheese in 1597. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It can be traced to 16th century Germany; Ingeborg Weber-Keller (Marburg professor of European ethnology) identified as the earliest reference a Bremen guild chronicle of 1570 which reports how a small fir was decorated with apples, nuts, dates, pretzels and paper flowers, and erected in the guild-house, for the benefit of the guild members' children, who collected the dainties on Christmas day. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.

The modern custom, however, although likely related, cannot be proven to be directly descended from pagan tradition. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. According to one legend, Saint Boniface attempted to introduce the idea of trinity to the pagan tribes using the cone-shaped evergreen trees because of their triangular appearance. Attempting to define it he wrote, "Love is patient, love is kind. According to Adam of Bremen, in Scandinavia the pagan kings sacrificed nine males of each species at the sacred groves every ninth year. Saint Paul glorified agape love as the most important virtue of all in 1 Corinthians, chapter 13. Among early Germanic tribes the Yule tradition was celebrated by sacrificing male animals and slaves by suspending them on the branches of trees. Saint Augustine summarised this when he wrote "Love God, and do as thou wilt".

Patron trees (for example, the Irminsul, Thor's Oak and the figurative Yggdrasil) held special significance for the ancient Germanic tribes, appearing throughout historic accounts as sacred symbols and objects. See The Gospel of Mark chapter 12, verses 28-34). A branch of flowering Glastonbury thorn is still sent annually for the Queen's Christmas table in the United Kingdom. Christians believe that to love God with all your heart, mind, and strength and Love your neighbour as yourself are the two most important things in life (the greatest commandment of God, according to Jesus). Medieval legends, nevertheless, tended to concentrate more on the miraculous "flowering" of trees at Christmas time. Lewis, an influential Christian theologian, wrote a book called The Four Loves. In Roman mosaics from what is today Tunisia, showing the mythic triumphant return from India of the Greek god of wine and male fertility, Dionysus (dubbed by some modern scholars as a life-death-rebirth deity), the god carries a tapering coniferous tree. C.S.

The Christmas tree is often explained as a Christianization of the ancient pagan idea that the evergreen tree represents a celebration of the renewal of life. There are several Greek words for Love that are regularly referred to in Christian circles. After the holidays, dead trees can be put to other uses:. The strongest motivation one has in order to take the path of the Bodhisattva is the idea of salvation within unselfish love for others. These tips will ensure the tree will stay fresh for several weeks. The Bodhisattva ideal in Tibetan Buddhism involves the complete renunciation of oneself in order to take on the burden of a suffering world. This tradition seems to be limited mostly to the United States. Instead, in Buddhism it refers to detachment and unselfish interest in others' welfare.

Flocking can be done with a professional sprayer at a tree lot (or the manufacturer if it is artificial), or at home from a spray can, and either can be rather messy. This is quite different from the ordinary love, which is usually about attachment and sex, which rarely occur without self-interest. Typically it would be sprayed all over the tree from the sides, which produced a look different from real snow, which settles in clumps atop branches. This love is unconditional and requires considerable self-acceptance. In the 1980s some trees were sprayed with fluffy white flocking to simulate snow. Advesa and maitrī are benevolent love. A plain mat of fabric or plastic may also be placed under the stand and skirt to protect the floor from scratches or water. It is complementary to wisdom, and is necessary for enlightenment.

Generally, the difference between a mat and skirt is simply that a mat is placed under the tree stand, while a skirt is placed over it, having a hole in the middle for the trunk, with a slot cut to the outside edge so that it can be placed around the tree (beneath the branches) easily. Karunā is compassion and mercy, which reduces the suffering of others. As Christmas presents arrive, they are generally placed underneath the tree on the tree skirt (depending on tradition, all Christmas gifts, or those too large to be hung on the tree, as in "presents on the tree" of the song "White Christmas"). It is an obstacle on the path to enlightenment, since it is selfish. A nativity scene, model train, or Christmas village may be placed on the mat or skirt. In Buddhism, Kāma is sensuous, sexual love. What began as ordinary cloth has now often become much more ornate, some having embroidery or being put together like a quilt. Sayang is a word to express unconditional love, but also to express deep regret in losing something.

Even when dripless candles, electric lights and artificial trees have been used, a skirt is still usually used as a decorative feature: among other things, it hides the tree stand, which may be unsightly but which is an important safety feature of home trees. Jatuh cinta literally means falling in love: the initial action that triggers love. Since candles were used to light trees until electric bulbs came about, a mat (UK) or "skirt" (US) was often placed on the floor below the tree to protect it by catching the dripping candle wax, and also to collect any needles that fall. Cinta is a word that defines lust or love that involves physical attraction. Many people also decorate outdoor trees with food that birds and other wildlife will enjoy, such as garlands made from unsalted popcorn or cranberries, orange halves, and seed-covered suet cakes. In Indonesian and Malaysian linguistics perspective, love can be defined in several ways:. Conversely, trees decorated by professional designers for department stores and other institutions will usually have a "theme"; a set of predominant colours, multiple instances of each type of ornament, and larger decorations that may be more complicated to set up correctly. As it arises from a conflation with a Greek word, there is no corresponding verb.

Individuals' decorations vary wildly, typically being an eclectic mix of family traditions and personal tastes; even a small unattractive ornament, if passed down from a parent or grandparent, may come to carry considerable emotional value and be given pride of place on the tree. This meaning, however, is not found in Classical pagan Roman literature. Baubles are another extremely common decoration, and usually consist of a fairly small hollow glass or plastic sphere coated with a thin metallic layer to make them reflective, and then with a further coating of a thin pigmented polymer in order to provide colouration. Caritas is used in Latin translations of the Christian Bible to mean 'charitable love'. Strands of tinsel may be hung in groups from longer branches to simulate icicles, though this trend has gradually fallen off since the late 1970s. Observare is a synonym for 'diligere'; despite the cognate with English, this verb and its corresponding noun 'observantia' often denote 'esteem' or 'affection'. Lighting with candles or electric lights (fairy lights) is commonly done, and a tree topper completes the ensemble. The corresponding noun diligentia, however, has the meaning 'diligence' 'carefulness' and has little semantic overlap with the verb.

Delicate mould-blown and painted coloured glass Christmas ornaments were a specialty of Czech glass factories from the late 19th century, and have since become a large industry, complete with famous-name designers. This word would be appropriate to describe the friendship of two men. Tinsel and several types of garland or ribbon are commonly used to decorate a Christmas tree. Diligere often has the notion 'to be affectionate for', 'to esteem', and rarely if ever is used of romantic love. Organically grown Christmas trees are available in some markets, and as with many other crops, are widely held to be better for the environment. Complicating the picture somewhat, Latin sometimes uses amare where English would simply say to like; this notion, however, is much more generally expressed in Latin by placere or delectare, which are used more colloquially, and the latter of which is used frequently in the love poetry of Catullus. In some cases management of Christmas tree crops can result in poor habitat since it involves heavy input of pesticides and herbicides. Ovid wrote a guide to dating called Ars Amatoria (The Art of Lovers), which addresses in depth everything from extramarital affairs to overprotective parents.

Live trees are typically grown as a crop and replanted in rotation after cutting, often providing suitable habitat for wildlife. Cicero wrote a treatise called On Friendship (de Amicitia) which discusses the notion at some length. Real trees also help reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere while growing. This same root also produces amicus, 'friend', and amicitia, 'friendship' (often based on mutual advantage, and corresponding sometimes more closely to 'indebtedness' or 'influence'). Real trees are used only for a short time, but can be recycled and used as mulch or used to prevent erosion [2]. The corresponding noun is amor, which is also used in the plural form to indicate 'love affairs' or 'sexual adventures'. Artificial trees can be used for many years, but are usually non-recyclable, ending up in landfills. From this verb come amans, a lover, amator, 'professional lover', often with the accessory notion of lechery, and amica, 'girlfriend' in the English sense, often as well being applied euphemistically to a prostitute.

Polyethylene trees are less toxic, though more expensive, than PVC trees [1]. The Romans used it both in an affectionate sense, as well as in a Romantic or sexual sense. For instance, the bark of a real tree can be used to surface an artificial trunk. Amare is the basic word for to love, as it still is in Italian today. A small amount of real-tree material is used in some artificial trees. The Latin language has several different verbs corresponding to the English word 'love'. Some trees have a warning that dust or leaves from the tree should not be eaten or inhaled. The importance of this can be seen throughout Greek mythology, in particular Homer's Iliad and Odyssey.

Artificial trees are usually made out of PVC, a toxic material which is often stabilised with lead. The host fed and provided quarters for the guest, who was only expected to repay with gratitude. There is some debate as to whether artificial or real trees are better for the environment. It was an almost ritualized friendship formed between a host and their guest, who could previously be strangers. Real potted ones are often sold like this, and artificial ones often come with a "root ball" but only sometimes with decorations. Xenia (ξενία philoxenía), means hospitality in modern Greek, was an extremely important practice in ancient Greece. A long-standing and simple gimmick is conifer seedlings sold with cheap decorations attached by soft pipe cleaners. Storge (στοργή storgē) means affection in modern Greek; it is natural affection, like that felt by parents for offspring.

Past gimmicks include small talking or singing trees, and trees which blow "snow" (actually small styrofoam beads) over themselves, collecting them in a decorative cardboard bin at the bottom and blowing them back up to the top through a tube hidden next to the trunk. Philia is motivated by practical reasons; one or both of the parties benefit from the relationship. Retailers also claimed that the trees were popular because they allowed larger presents to be placed beneath the trees. It includes loyalty to friends, family, and community, and requires virtue, equality and familiarity. Customers then wanted to replicate the inverted tree. Philia (φιλία philía), means friendship in modern Greek, a dispassionate virtuous love, was a concept developed by Aristotle. They were originally sold as decorations for merchants that allowed customers to get closer to ornaments being sold. Some translations list it as "love of the body".

In 2005 inverted trees became popular. Lovers and philosophers are all inspired to seek truth by eros. Some are instead lit partly or completely by fibre optics, with the light in the base, and a rotating colour wheel causing various colours to shimmer across the tree. Eros helps the soul recall knowledge of beauty, and contributes to an understanding of spiritual truth. Since the late 1990s, many indoor artificial trees come pre-strung with lights. Although eros is initially felt for a person, with contemplation it becomes an appreciation of the beauty within that person, or even becomes appreciation of beauty itself. Some skyscrapers will tell certain offices to leave their lights on (and others off) at night during December, creating a Christmas tree pattern. Plato refined his own definition.

A few hotels and other buildings, both public and private, will string lights up from the roof to the top of a small tower on top of the building, so that at night it appears as a lit Christmas tree, often using green or other coloured lights. The Greek word erota means in love. These lights are usually white, but often are green, red, red/green, blue/white, blue, or multicoloured, and sometimes with a small controller to fade colours back and forth. Eros (ἔρως érōs) is passionate love, with sensual desire and longing. lawns in the 2000s, along with 1990s spiral ones that hang from a central pole, both styles being lighted with standard miniature lights. It has also been translated as "love of the soul". Outdoor branched trees made out of heavy white-enameled steel wires have become more popular on U.S. However, there are some examples of agape used to mean the same as eros.

Other artificial trees which look nothing like a conifer except for the triangular or conical shape, are also used as tabletop decorations, such as a stack of ornaments. It generally refers to a "pure", ideal type of love rather than the physical attraction suggested by eros. More recent tinsel trees can be used fairly safely with lights. The word agapo is the verb I love. They were instead lit by a spotlight or floodlight, often with a motorised rotating color wheel in front of it. The term s'agapo means I love you in Greek. They were aluminium-coated paper, meaning that they also posed a great fire hazard if lights were put directly on them (warnings to this effect are still issued with most christmas tree lights). Agape (ἀγάπη agápē) means love in modern day Greek.

The first trees which were not green were the metallic trees of the 1950s and 1960s. At the same time the ancient Greek text of the Bible has examples of the verb agapo being used with the same meaning as phileo. Around 2003, some trees with molded-plastic branches started selling in the U.S.. However, with Greek as with many other languages, it has been historically difficult to separate the meanings of these words totally. Better trees also have more branch tips, the number usually listed on the box. For example, ancient Greek has the words philia, eros, agape, storge and xenia. Most of the better trees have branches hinged to the pole, though the less-expensive ones generally still come separately. Greek distinguishes several different senses in which the word love is used.

Many trees now come in "slim" versions, to fit in smaller spaces. Rather than using ai shiteiru (愛している) or koi shiteiru (恋している) to say "I love you", for example, most Japanese would say suki desu (好きです), which literally means "I like you" -- suki (好き) being the same word used to express preferences for food, music, etc., as in sushi ga suki desu (寿司が好きです), or "I like sushi." Rather than diluting the sentiment, however, the implied meaning of "love" is understood. These trees have become a little more realistic every year, with a few deluxe trees containing multiple branch styles. In everyday conversation, however, ai (愛) and koi (恋) are rarely used. Many also have very short brown "needles" wound in with the longer green ones, to imitate the branch itself or the bases that each group of pine (but not other conifer) needles grows from. The word aijin (愛人) means "lover" and implies an illicit, often extra-marital relationship, whereas koibito (恋人) has the connotation of "boyfriend", "girlfriend", or "partner". Those first trees looked like long-needled pine trees, but later trees use flat PVC sheets to make the needles. There are of course exceptions.

Each row of branches is a different size, colour coded at the base with paint or stickers for ease of assembly. "Parental love", for example, is oya no ai (親の愛), while "to be in love with" is koi suru (恋する). The bases of the branches were then twisted together to form a large branch, which was then inserted by the user into a wooden pole (now metal with plastic rings) for a trunk. Generally speaking, most forms of non-romantic love are expressed using the former, while romantic love is expressed using the latter. They were made the same way, using animal hair (mainly pig bristles) and later plastic bristles, dyed pine-green colour, inserted between twisted wires that form the branches. Linguistically, the two most common words for love are ai （愛）and koi (恋). The first modern artificial Christmas trees were produced by companies which made brushes. Some sociologists (most notably, Takeo Doi) have suggested that Japanese social interactions in later life are modeled on the mother-child amae.

in 1913, in the Sears, Roebuck and Company catalog. Japanese mothers are expected to hug and indulge their children, and children are expected to reward their mothers by clinging and serving. The first feather trees came to the U.S. Amae (甘え), a Japanese word meaning "indulgent dependence", is part of the child-rearing culture of Japan. Originating in Germany in the 19th century to prevent further deforestation, these "minimalist" trees show off small ornaments very well. It can develop towards either selfishness or selflessness and enlightenment. The first artificial trees were tabletop feather trees, made from green-dyed goose feathers wound onto sticks drilled into a larger one, like the branches on a tree. In Japanese Buddhism, ai (愛) is passionate caring love, and a fundamental desire.

They may also be necessary for people who have an allergy to conifers, and are increasingly popular in office settings. Reports have appeared in Chinese newspapers and other media detailing the prevalence of the phenomenon and its perceived dangers to students and the fears of parents. Artificial trees are sometimes even a necessity in some rented homes (especially apartment flats), due to the potential fire danger from a dried-out real tree, leading to their prohibition by some landlords. The concept essentially indicates a prevalent belief in contemporary Chinese culture that due to the demands of their studies (especially true in the highly competitive educational system of China), youth should not form romantic attachments lest they jeopardize their chances for success in the future. In the U.S., about 70% of trees are now artificial. Zaolian describes both relationships among a teenaged boyfriend and girlfriend, as well as the "crushes" of early adolescence or childhood. At the end of the Christmas season artificial trees can be diassembled and stored compactly, but some artificial-tree owners simply store the whole decorated tree covered in a large bag, ready for the next year. Zaolian (Simplified: 早恋, Traditional: 早戀, pinyin: zǎoliàn), literally, "early love," is a contemporary term in frequent use for romantic feelings or attachments among children or adolescents.

Trees come in a number of colours and "species", and some come pre-decorated with coloured lights. A similar conceptualization in English is, "They were made for each other," "fate," or "destiny". Artificial trees are very popular, particularly in the U.S., where despite their lack of realism (both in looks and scent), they are considered more convenient and (if used for several years) less expensive than real trees. It is very similar to serendipity. In the UK, The British Christmas Tree Growers Association represents the interests of all those who grow Christmas trees in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. A meaningful relationship is often conceived of as dependent strong yuanfen. In the past, Christmas trees were often harvested from wild forests, but now almost all are commercially grown on tree farms. Yuanfen (緣份) is a connection of bound destinies.

The shearing also damages the highly attractive natural symmetry of unsheared trees. Emotional attachment toward another person or anything. European tradition prefers the open aspect of naturally-grown, unsheared trees, while in North America (outside much of the Rockies) there is a preference for close-sheared trees with denser foliage, but less space to hang decorations. A person will express love by building good gănqíng, accomplished through helping or working for another. Others are produced in a container and sometimes as topiary for a porch or patio. Gănqíng (感情), the feeling of a relationship. These trees must be kept inside only for a few days, as the warmth will bring them out of dormancy, leaving them little protection when put back outside into the midwinter cold in most areas. Although Mozi's thought was influential, the Confucian lian is how most Chinese conceive of love.

However, the combination of root loss on digging, and the indoor environment of high temperature and low humidity is very detrimental to the tree's health, and the survival rate of these trees is low. Extravagance and offensive war are inimical to ai. Some trees are sold live with roots and soil, often from a nursery, to be planted later outdoors and enjoyed (and often decorated) for years or decades. Ai, in Mohism, is universal love towards all beings, not just towards friends or family, without regard to reciprocation. Norfolk Island pine is sometimes used, particularly in the Oceania region, and in Australia some species of the genera Casuarina and Allocasuarina are also occasionally used as Christmas trees. The Chinese philosopher Mozi developed the concept of ai (愛) in reaction to Confucian lian. The long-needled Eastern White Pine is also used there. Lian should be pursued by all human beings, and reflects a moral life.

Virginia Pine is still available on some tree farms in the southeastern United States, however it has poor winter colour and sharp needles. In Confucianism, lian is a virtuous benevolent love. Less-traditional conifers are sometimes used, such as Giant Sequoia, Leyland Cypress and Eastern Juniper. In contemporary Chinese language and culture, several terms or root words are used for the concept of "love":. Several other species are used to a lesser extent. After that time, the passion fades, changing love from consummate to companionate, or from romantic love to liking. and in North America:. According to current scientific understanding of love, this transition from the attraction to the attachment phase usually happens in about 30 months.

Commonly used species in northern Europe (including the UK) are:. Likewise, when a person has known a loved one for a long time, they develop a deeper attachment to their partner. The best species for use are species of fir (Abies), which have the major benefit of not shedding the needles when they dry out, as well as good foliage colour and scent; but species in other genera are also used. At the attraction stage the person concentrates their affection on a single mate and fidelity becomes important. Both natural and artificial trees are used as Christmas trees. So what starts as infatuation or empty love may well develop into one of the fuller types of love. In Germany, the Catholic people takes their Christmas trees down by the 2nd of February. However, as time passes, the other elements may grow and passion may shrink — this depends upon the individual.

In Europe, private Christmas trees are not usually put up until at least the middle of December and are usually taken down by the 6th of January. Appearance, smells, and other similar factors play a decisive role in screening potential mates. In more northern climates and into Canada, the tree (if not too dry) and other decorations are left up well into January. The primary motivator at this stage is the basic sexual instinct. homes is to put the tree up right after Thanksgiving (the fourth Thursday in November) and to take it down right after the New Year. Generally love will start off in the lust phase, strong in passion but weak in the other elements. The most common tradition in U.S. Helen Fisher suggests three main phases of love: lust, attraction, and attachment.

Modern commercialisation of Christmas has however resulted in trees being put up much earlier; in shops often as early as late October. Relationships based on similar love styles were found to last longer. Traditionally, Christmas trees were not brought in and decorated until Christmas Eve (24 December), and then removed the day after twelfth night (i.e., 6 January); to have a tree up before or after these dates was even considered bad luck. The Hendricks found men tend to be more ludic and manic, whereas women tend to be storgic and pragmatic. . Lee identified six basic theories that people use in their interpersonal relationships:. It is normally an evergreen coniferous tree that is brought into a home or used in the open, and is decorated with Christmas lights and colourful ornaments during the days around Christmas. Susan Hendrick and Clyde Hendrick developed a Loves Attitude Scale based on John Alan Lee's theory called Love styles.

A Christmas tree is one of the most popular traditions associated with the celebration of Christmas. Each of these elements can be present in a relationship, producing the following combinations:. In coastal areas, trees can be used to protect sand dunes from erosion. In psychologist Robert Sternberg's triangular theory of love, love is characterized by three elements: intimacy, passion and commitment. Trees can be cut into small pieces and use for mulch or composted; some cities offer this service to their residents. Companionate love is affection and a feeling of intimacy not accompanied by physiological arousal. Use the tree as a bean or pea support pole. Passionate love is intense longing, and is often accompanied by physiological arousal (shortness of breath, rapid heart rate).

Use needles in a sachet. The traditional psychological view sees love as being a combination of companionate love and passionate love. Use your tree as a bird feeder, hanging suet balls or other food from the branches. Attachment between adults is presumed to work on the same principles that lead an infant to become attached to his or her mother or father. Place your tree away from heat sources, including radiators and windows that get a lot of direct sunlight. The conventional view in biology is that there are two major drives in love — sexual attraction and attachment. Only use plain water; research shows that additives such as sugar, cola and aspirin do more harm than good. There are probably elements of truth in both views — certainly love is influenced by hormones (such as oxytocin) and pheromones, and how people think and behave in love is influenced by their conceptions of love.

Check it daily. Psychology sees love as more of a social and cultural phenomenon. Make sure your tree has a sturdy Christmas tree stand that holds 4-6 litres of water. Biological models of love tend to see it as a mammalian drive, just like hunger or thirst. This allows the tree to continue taking up water, by removing the resin-soaked wood at the original cut. Refer to Religious Views below. Just before placing it in the stand, cut 2-3 centimeters off the trunk. Some traditions encourage the development of passionate love in the believer for the deity.

Before taking your tree inside, gently bang the tree on its stump several times to dislodge any loose needles. Reciprocally, the followers may believe that the deity loves the followers and all of creation. If possible, the night before decorating, bring the tree into a partially heated area to allow it to adjust gradually to temperature changes. This love can be expressed by prayer, service, good deeds, and personal sacrifice. If decoration is not planned immediately, store the tree in a cool environment protected from the sun and wind. Most religions use the term love to express the devotion the follower has to their deity, who may be a living guru or religious teacher. When transporting the tree, protect it from wind and road salts by covering it with plastic. Religious 'love' might be considered a euphemistic term, more closely describing feelings of deference or acquiescence.

Stone Pine Pinus pinea (as small table-top trees). Whether religious love can be expressed in similar terms to interpersonal love is a matter for philosophical debate. Scots Pine Pinus sylvestris. If that desire reaches the point of being acted out, it may be considered unhealthy, and fall under the category of paraphilia. Douglas-fir Pseudotsuga menziesii. (ex: "I love cheese.") In some cases there may be an erotic component to such feeling of love. Red Fir Abies magnifica. People can also 'love' material objects, animals, or activities if they invest themselves in bonding their identity with that item.

Noble Fir Abies procera. Similarly, compassionate outreach and volunteer workers' 'love' of their cause may be born not of interpersonal love, but impersonal love coupled with altruism and strong political convictions. Fraser Fir Abies fraseri. A person can be said to love a country, principle, or goal if they value it greatly and are deeply committed to it. Balsam Fir Abies balsamea. . Scots Pine Pinus sylvestris.
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Serbian Spruce Picea omorika. Love is essentially an abstract concept, easier to experience than to explain. Norway Spruce Picea abies (generally the cheapest). Different people place varying degrees of importance on the kinds of love they receive. Noble Fir Abies procera. Expressions of love may include the love for a soul or mind, the love of laws and organizations, love for a body, love for nature, love of food, love of money, love for learning, love of power, love of fame, love for the respect of others, etcetera. Nordmann Fir Abies nordmanniana (as in the photo). See the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis.

Silver Fir Abies alba (the original species). It is precisely these cultural differences that make any universal definition of love difficult, but not impossible, to establish. Love is inherent in all human cultures and thus may be seen as a defining trait of humanity, that is, love is a quality that makes one human. Or to put simply, love responds intentionally to promote well-being (Thomas Jay Oord). Love might best be defined as acting intentionally, in sympathetic response to others (including God), to promote overall well-being.

Probably due to its emotional primacy, love is one of the most common themes in art. In ordinary use, it usually refers to interpersonal love. It can describe an intense feeling of affection, an emotion or an emotional state. Love has several different meanings in every language, from something that gives a little pleasure ("I loved that meal") to something one would die for (patriotism, pairbonding).

Mihr — angel of love in Persian mythology. Raphael — Angel of love(agape) in Judeo-Christian theology. Haniel — Angel of Venus, and of eros, in Judeo-Christian theology. Xochipilli — god in Aztec mythology.

Venus — goddess of beauty and passionate love in Roman mythology. Rati — goddess of passionate love in Hindu mythology. Kama — god of sensual love in Hindu mythology. Ishtar — goddess of love and war in Babylonian mythology.

Inanna — goddess of love and war in Sumerian mythology. Freya — goddess in Norse mythology. Eros — god of passionate love in Greek mythology. Astarte — goddess of love in Canaanite mythogy.

Aphrodite — goddess of beauty and passionate love in Greek mythology. Aonghus or Aengus— god of beauty, youth, and sensual love in Irish mythology. Amor or Cupid — god of passionate love in Roman mythology. Áine — goddess of fertility and passionate love in Irish mythology.

Two other words for love in the Greek language -- Eros (sexual love) and storge (needy child-to parent love) were never used in the New Testament. Also known as "brotherly love". Phileo - Also used in the New Testament, Phileo is a human response to something that is found to be delightful. It is parental love seen as creating goodness in the world, it is the way God is seen to love humanity, and it is seen as the kind of love that Christians aspire to have for one another.

Agape - In the New Testament, agapē is charitable, selfless, altruistic, and unconditional. It is contained in the word aiqing (愛情); qingren (情人) is a term for "lover". Qing (情), commonly meaning "feeling" or "emotion," often indicates "love" in several terms. Lian (戀) is not generally used alone, but instead as part of such terms as "being in love" (談戀愛, tan lian'ai—also containing ai), "lover" (戀人, lianren) or "homosexuality" (同性戀, tongxinglian).

Wo ai ni, "I love you") or as a noun, especially in aiqing (愛情), "love" or "romance." In mainland China since 1949, airen (愛人, originally "lover," or more literally, "love person") is the dominant word for "spouse" (with separate terms for "wife" and "husband" originally being de-emphasized); the word once had a negative connotation, which it retains among many on Taiwan. Ai (愛) is used as a verb (e.g. Agapē — selfless altruistic love; spiritual. Mania — highly emotional love; unstable; the stereotype of romantic love.

Pragma — pragmatic love. Storge — an affectionate love that slowly develops, based on similarity. Ludus — love is played as a game; love is playful. Eros — a passionate physical love based on physical appearance.

"Without expression," he warns, "even the greatest of loves can die" (1987, p.341). He stresses the importance of translating the components of love into action. Sternberg cautions that maintaining a consummate love may be even harder than achieving it. Consummate love is the most complete form of love, and it represents the ideal love relationship for which many people strive but which apparently few achieve.

Consummate love is the only type of love that includes all three components--intimacy, passion and commitment. This type of love can be exemplified by a whirlwind courtship and marriage in which a commitment is motivated largely by passion, without the stabilizing influence of intimacy. Fatuous love has the passion and the commitment components but not the intimacy component. This type of love is often found in marriages in which the passion has gone out of the relationship, but a deep affection and commitment remain.

Companionate love consists of intimacy and commitment. Romantic lovers are bonded emotionally (as in liking) and physically through passionate arousal. Romantic love is a combination of intimacy and passion. Empty love can also be seen in couples that are estranged but feel that they are bound by commitment.

In cultures in which arranged marriages are common, relationships often begin as empty love. Sometimes, a stronger love deteriorates into empty love, in which the commitment remains, but the intimacy and passion have died. Empty love consists of the commitment component without intimacy or passion. Infatuated love consists solely of passion and is often what is felt as "love at first sight." But without the intimacy and the commitment components of love, infatuated love may disappear suddenly.

Sternberg says that this intimate liking characterizes true friendships, in which a person feels a bondedness, a warmth, and a closeness with another but not intense passion or long-term commitment. In this case, liking is not used in a trivial sense. Liking includes only one of the love components - intimacy.