At the risk of completely violating a point I made only yesterday, I’d like to offer that the Christmas tree depicts the same thing as do concepts related to Kundalini energy rising through the body, as does the life and ministry of Jesus, especially his ascension to Golgotha – the place of the skull, and his crucifixion “between two thieves.” (See more in this podcast on the Mysteries of the Bible). The tree itself is an analogue for the human body. We have been literally hewn from our rooted connection to the earth, cut off from access to the divine mind of nature, forced to wander around, stumble and die. (Interestingly, also see that there was a medieval tradition of hanging Christmas trees upside-down at one point, which perhaps more explicitly makes the point that we have been cut off from God, from our roots in Heaven. Incidentally, I have also seen this upside-down tree image overlaid across the body in yoga books. See also the Hanged Man in the Tarot, and Odin hanging from Yggdrasil to gain mystical insight and power)

Just like the tree, our true nature is to be connected, to be rooted. But we are hewn down and brought in-doors to decorate. This act recapitulates our being birthed into the physical world, which also is what causes us to begin dying (as soon as we are born). The potential death is staved off for a number of days with a decorative plate of water (baptism?) as the sacrificial offering of ourselves is prepared (give away all your possessions - which Jesus tells his followers to do, and which is something people who are going to commit suicide sometimes do; also the Giving Tree, and gifts under the Christmas tree).

The tree is lit nowadays with electrical lights which is a reference the earlier practice of it being lined with lighted candles, which is itself a diminished representation/replacement for the tree being immolated, set on fire (much like in the way that the Apostles in Acts are lit on fire by the tongues of flame coming from the Holy Spirit). As this light/flame/energy rises through the tree, it eventually reaches the apex point of the tree, which corresponds to the third eye in our body (?), which is the location where Jesus is crucified (between two thieves – the eyes, which present a false image of reality to you, blinding you to the vision of your one inner eye which perceives reality as it is instead of as it appears).

See also, Matthew 6:22-23: “If thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. Therefore, if the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!”

This point at the apex of the tree is the star which we crown our trees with. It is also the Star of Bethlehem which guides both the Magi (The Three Kings, Three Wise Men) from the East and also the simple shepherds in the field. (See also: John 1:5, “And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.”) Above the tree is the angel, which is again, the angel sent down from Heaven to communicate with the shepherds in the field that unto them this night a child is born.

Luke 2:8-14 “And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

The subject also of countless Christmas songs, the birth of the “Heavenly King” into the plane of the earth:

Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven, and heaven, and nature sing.

Beneath the tree lay glorious presents. The gifts are siddhis (and also), the gifts or charisms of the Holy Spirit, which are themselves attained as the light-energy raises through and eventually consumes the tree/body in flames. Think the Burning Bush of Moses, from which the voice of God spoke in the wilderness.

As far as immolating the tree goes, this is also where the chimney image fits into the Christmas story. In the fireplace, the raw material of the dead hewn down wood is burned up and transmuted into the gifts of heat, keeping as warm and well fed. Santa Claus of course has deep origins connecting him to ancient shamanic practices and the bear god, among other things.

God in the guise of Santa is said to slide down the chimney (also see Yggdrasil, the world tree and the tree of the shamans through which they climbed between worlds) and again offer presents underneath the tree. Santa sliding down the chimney into the fireplace may also likely have common roots to the practice of firemen sliding down the fire pole.

And of course, the Christmas tree is an “evergreen” - literally always green, always alive, even in winter, a symbol of life everlasting. See also the symbol on the patch of the Bookhouse Boys, the “secret society” in which Dale Cooper is initiated into in the town of Twin Peaks. Plus all the more obvious Tree of Life/Tree of Knowledge stuff from the Bible, but I’ll let somebody else cover those. And it seems that we could go on and on, mining this rich trove of connected symbolism, but I think that dense bundle should serve to illustrate the points that occurred to me recently. Hopefully the whole thing will give you a richer layer of meaning to contemplate during this Christmas season.