Christmas carols resonate on streets covered with white snow. People who celebrate Christmas have a special day in their daily lives. In the United States, people eat turkey with their families and take a break until the next year comes, and in Norway, they hide the brooms in their homes that evil spirits seek at Christmas. In the case of Ireland, candles are lit in windows; Christmas markets that have been around for hundreds of years are held in Germany; and in Spain, people buy lottery tickets in anticipation of winning just before Christmas. Like this, people celebrate their Christmas in various ways.
 

 

History of the holy holiday

Christmas is a day to commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ, and its history dates back to BC. Ancient Egypt, which considered the sun as a god, regarded December 25, when the sun's altitude was the lowest in the year and then returned, as a lucky day due to the sun's revival. This ancient Egyptian tradition later led to Christianity, and in 354 AD, Pope Julius Ⅰ publicly recognized December 25 as the birthday of Baby Jesus. Then Christmas became a major Christian anniversary. In the 18th century, Christmas was designated as an official holiday in England. And since the 19th century, a culture of charity for the poor and a family culture centered on children have been established, leading to today's Christmas characteristics. In the case of Korea, the concept of Christmas began to spread in the early 1900s when Catholicism began to spread in Korea. After liberation from Japanese colonial rule in 1945, when the United States military government designated December 25 as an official holiday, the whole nation started to take a day off on Christmas. People spend their own time celebrating Christmas. And SMT enjoyed this Christmas, decorating a Christmas tree.
The Christmas tree is one of the symbols of Christmas. There have been various folktales to explain why people decorate trees on Christmas, but no theory has been identified that can accurately explain the reason. Meanwhile, Christmas trees of various shapes and sizes can be decorated according to personal preferences. SMT wanted a Christmas tree that could sit on a desk and be easy to move, so a small size of about 60cm was selected. It is a plastic tree, which is made of sturdier materials than others, so it can be used as an ornament for a long time. Along with the tree, decorations and lighting were included in the price. Above all, the remote control which controls the lights and its charging cable were also provided as basic components. The delivery period, which was stated as 2 days at the time of purchase, was extended to 4 days, and a wall tree was provided as a free gift. The wall tree is a Christmas tree that can be hung on the wall and has the advantage of being able to be installed in a small space and being easy to store due to its size. The basic components of the wall tree included an iron structure that acts like a tree, decorations, lighting, and remote controls.
 

 

Maximize Christmas with a tree

These SMT reporters constructed the Christmas tree. First of all, remove all the plastic and place it on a floor or desk, and the tree's branches should be straightened out to organize the skeleton. This process is the most basic but most important process of making the tree. Because the entire tree looks richer and bigger if the branches are emphasized as much as possible. Next, it is time to hang decorations on the tree. There are various types, such as red bells, red ribbons, pine bells, and a large star. Anything can be attached according to one's style or to be creative. Just as there is a saying, "The most personal thing is the creative thing," if the maker wants to make the coolest and most special Christmas tree, it is a good idea to find her own things to decorate it. And instead of putting only certain types of ornaments in one place, it would be better to distribute them in various locations in a random way. This makes it a cooler and more stable tree because the overall balance of the arrangement of the decorations is even. The tree is finished by putting a precious star at the top. The next most important task is hanging the lights. No matter how much decoration is lacking, it will be the best tree if the lights are hung through it. Wrap long strings of lights around the tree, placing them so that they are evenly distributed, rather than putting them in one place. Then plug it in and turn it on. When turning off the lights in the room, it is good for the maker to use blackout curtains during the day to block light, and she can appreciate the finished shining tree.
It was fun to put together a tree, but there is a good thing to know in advance. After decorating the tree, it could be difficult to move it to a place where it can be plugged in. So, it is recommended that the maker check its closeness to a plug socket in advance. Anyway, it was so fun making a Christmas tree. The whole process of decorating the tree itself made this reporter feel excited and joyful because of the emotion of preparing for Christmas. Various trees can be easily purchased in online shopping malls to make Christmas truly special.
 

 

Feel the christmas spirit

When these reporters saw the finished tree, the sense of accomplishment and warmth came in abundance. If Sookmyungians want to make a big difference in the mood of their houses for the winter holiday, or if they want to prepare and feel Christmas passionately, it seems good to try putting up a Christmas tree at home.

 

Choi Song Bojeong / Culture Section Editor
smt_sbj@sookmyung.ac.kr
Park Gil Yeonseo / Reporter
smt_gys@sookmyung.ac.kr