The Legend of the Christmas Tree: The Inspirational Story of a Treasured Tradition

by Rick Osborne, Bill Dodge (Illustrator), Pat Matuszak (Adapter)

On a visit to a tree lot, the Johnson family sees three beautifully decorated trees standing in the center of the lot. A mysterious silver gift-wrapped box is under one of the trees. The old lot owner notices their intrigue and what he tells them, not only marks the beginning of a new family tradition, but also brings meaning and understanding into their Christmas celebration. In The Legend of the Christmas Tree, children ages 4 to 8 will discover the wonderful story of how the evergreen tree first became a symbol of Christmas and a way to tell people about God. The beautiful illustrations by Bill Dodge add a wonderful richness to the story and help bring meaning to one of our best-loved traditions---decorating the Christmas tree.

Genres: Christmas, Picture Books, Holiday, Childrens, Fiction, Christian

32 pages, Hardcover

Published September 1, 2001

Reviews

[Rebekah Morris · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars
A sweet Christmas story that reminds us of the real reason for Christmas. I like the illustrations and how the family used the legend to make their own Christmas tree extra special.
Recommended for families.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was one of our Christmas Eve selections and ai know Valerie thought it was too long…even at 23, she is still ready to get on with the festivities. But reading the Christmas story in Luke and selecting a Christmas themed secular book at my favorite parts of the festivities. Izzy, at just 3, sat patiently on my lap and enjoyed reading this book with me. It has a good message. I can’t say it is one we will read every year, but then again I have been looking for that book for 27 years. Lol!

[Nicole Felten Castillo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was really interesting to me; it went through the whole history of how decorating a Christmas tree got started, from telling the story of Adam & Eve on the 24th, the Holy Trinity (3 in 1 like a Christmas tree has three 'points') and to how Martin Luther started putting candles on it. So interesting!

[Nhi Nguyễn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not sure if the story told in this book about the legend of the Christmas is true or not, because from what I've learned before, the tradition of decorating the Christmas tree started from the time of King George III and Queen Charlotte of Great Britain, and was popularized by Queen Victoria. Maybe the tradition dates back longer than that, or maybe not. Either way, I didn't find the story in this book as touching, memorable or uplifting as other stories in this Christmas legend stories.

This book also said that a tree has three corners that resemble three persons that God exists in. But what does "a tree has three corners" mean? What kind of corner that a tree has? Someone please enlighten me, because from what I see, a tree has no corners, and trees have nothing to do with God's persons...

[Aimee Fuhrman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A richly illustrated story which includes a short history of the Christmas tree and a reminder of why we celebrate Christmas in the first place.
A father is frustrated by his children's focus on everything but the real reason for the season. He blames it on all the Christmas trappings. But when his family goes in search of their Christmas tree, an old tree farmer shares the history of the Christmas tree and the meaning for the season.
A beautiful book to share as a family during the Christmas season.

[Jessica Hembree · Rating 3 out of 5]

Each year, my family wraps our collection of Christmas and winter books in order to be able to randomly select one each night to read aloud as a family. This was tonight’s story. A family learns how Christ can be reflected in the tradition of the Christmas tree.

[Emma · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars
Very wordy and I started to lose interest.

[Jessica Kuznicki · Rating 5 out of 5]

World's best farmer. A must read each year.

[Marilyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

For Marilyn,
A Christmas book to share with Ryan for many Christmas seasons to come.
Your friend,
Martha
December 2014

[LaWindes · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice story of a contemporary family and the true meaning of christmas. Gives some history of christmas tree usage.

[Svetlana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice story

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book takes a religious look at Christmas tree history. Though it credits the idea as being entirely Christian, which is a falsehood, it does a pretty good job of bringing out the history of the tree from the Christian point of view with some often overlooked Christmas tree history. Good for the family that is trying to find the religious underpinning of what is often viewed as the secular portion of the holiday celebration. I liked the book though the moralistic, relatable-family aspect was a bit heavy-handed at times.

[Penelope · Rating 3 out of 5]

We like to make Christmas and our traditions meaningful and God-centered. We like The Legend of the Christmas Tree because it helps our children to understand why we put up a Christmas tree each year. The execution of this book leaves a bit to be desired, but the message of following Jesus is a good one.

[Shannon · Rating 1 out of 5]

"Merry Christmas Shannon. Love always, Mom and Dad. 2001." I'll give my mom credit, there are lots of opportunities for misses when purchasing books for someone, and she misses an extraordinarily few number of times. I liked the legend itself, but I didn't really care for the illustrations at all.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've wanted to read this book again since I first did at nine years old. Today, I looked up a "read aloud" on the internet and watched it with my two sons. Satisfying.

I love how almost everything can be useful to point to the Creator and Savior.

[Teri · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Nice to have some exposure to the history behind the Christmas tree, and how it is used as a symbol of Christ. It did require some discussion in our family about the godhead (we believe in three distinct personages, not three in one like the three points of a Christmas tree.)

[Keri · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was interesting as it shared a Christian view on why we celebrate Christmas with a tree. I liked the history behind it. We did stop for a moment and talk about our belief in the Godhead and how they are 3 different beings as the book shares that they are one.

[Guthrie Veech · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun book for Thanksgiving Day. Lots of history in it to cause you to look deeper. Gives significance to the Christmas tree that many unfortunately oppose. The Christmas is a teaching tool for those who want to use it.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

AS with the book about candy canes, this book has nice illustrations, a terrific idea, and a less-than-stellar execution.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

We received this book for Christmas. I love reading it with my children. It's not the best children's book I've ever read, but it does remind us of why we celebrate and my kids really enjoy it.

[Cws]

JE398.2-Osb

[Tammy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the candy cane book better. I like the illustrations.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful 3 minute story! So, glad I was able to read it as the beginning of the Christmas season has begun.

[Anna Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little cheesy but sweet and ties spiritual meaning into the tradition of a tree.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book I need to remember to read the day we put up our Christmas tree. Great book!..krb 12/21/15

Unwrapped this book a couple of nights ago...krb 12/19/18