Church members decorate tree with care and meaning
Atlanta First United Methodist Church’s Christmas tree this year is a tall gold and white symbol that can take members back 30 years or more.
The decorations are called Chrismons. They are handmade ornaments designed so that each is a symbol of Christ.
They have been made by church members. No one really knows how long ago. They may go back 50 years, said Marilyn Cobb, who with husband Mark Cobb guided this year’s effort to revive the Chrismon tree after several years of absence.
The ornaments are historical in that they are symbols of Christ passed down through the centuries of Christian history. They are made in white and gold to symbolize purity and majesty. One design, the Pious Pelican, is one of the few with a bit of red color in it to represent the blood Christ shed for others.
This pelican history helps explain the Chrismon tree. In medieval time, the pelican was thought to be so attentive to its young that the mother would provide her own blood by wounding her own breast if no other food was available.
Each of the 23 Chrismons made by Atlanta Methodist members has such a story behind it.
The Cobb family simply called church member volunteers to spend an afternoon of about four hours to create the tree in the church sanctuary and other decorations in the church.
“Everyone came and worked so joyfully together,” Marilyn Cobb said. “The tree and our church is beautiful. And for everyone to see the detail of stitching, beads, seeds, pearls, cloth and other parts of these handmade ornaments is to bring back memories of our church members and our reason for Christmas.”