Christmas Myths (5): "Oh Fir Tree, Oh Fir Tree"

On my way to tape a Today show segment the other day, I passed the great tree at Rockefeller Center. As always, it was drawing a big crowd.

Gazing at this enormous and dazzling display of lights, I could only ponder anew an old question: There weren't any evergreen trees in Bethlehem. Why do people decorate Christmas trees in honor of the birth of Jesus?

Once again, we have the pagans to thank, as I've been describing in this series about Christmas and its mythic roots. In writing about the...