Chrismons

Ascension Lutheran Church, Danville, VA, holds the copyright on the word "chrismons". It was given to them by the woman, Mrs. Frances Spencer, who originated the concept and brought it to fruition in that church in 1957. Please note that this web site (www.umcs.org) is not related to the one at the Ascension Lutheran Church of Danville, VA in any way.

Chrismons may never be made for profit. Hence, you are not going to find commercially made Chrismons.

WHAT'S A CHRISMON?
Chrismons are a type of Christmas Tree decoration used in many churches and often in the homes of Christians. The symbols used represent a variety of biblical and theological concepts that are well known among most believers. Technically, if the ornaments on a Christmas tree are comprised mostly of Christian symbols, the tree is known as a "Chrismon Tree." Most Chrismons are white with gold decorations of beads, ribbon, glitter, etc.

For an extensive list of often used Christian Symbols with explanations of their meanings, click here. For a booklet that may be viewed in Adobe Reader format, click here. For a zip file of the graphics and explanations, click here.

Click here to see some pictures I took of Chrismons made by members of Trinity United Methodist Church in Roseville, MI about 25 years ago. Some may find these useful in creating Chrismons of their own.

This is a symbol
of the Holy Trinity.
The fish are an ancient
symbol for Christ, the
Greek word for "Fish"
forming an acrostic that
spells out "Jesus Christ,
Son of God, Savior."

The Eight Pointed Star
is a symbol of the world.
This symbolism is
enhanced by the golden
orbs, also symbols of
the world. This symbol
reminds us that Christ
came to save the world.
Did you know that you
can make an eight pointed
star without taking your
pencil off the paper?

In the book of Luke
we read the story
of how the angels went
to simple shepherds to
tell them the news of the
Savior's birth. "Glory
to God in the Highest!"
they sang. Angel symbols
reminds us that the Gospel
is for us and for all.

This one is complex,
having several symbols.
The circles represent the
earth. The cross repre-
sents Christ's death. The
butterfly represents the
resurrection. The story
told here is that Christ
came to save the world
by his death and resur-
rection. We have eternal
life through him.

The Celtic Cross is a cross used by Christians of The British Isles for many years. The orb in the center represents the Rising Sun, representative of Jesus
Christ, the Son of God, who rose from
the dead. The arms of the cross are
rays of light shining forth from the sun.
This reminds us that Christ is the
Light of the world.

This cross, also a
Celtic Cross, is
a bit more
ornamental.
Nevertheless,
it means about the
same thing as the
cross, above and
is a commonly
seen symbol.

This is another complex
symbol. The "X"and "P"
is the Greek letter "Chi" and
"Rho" superimposed. They
are the first two letters in the
name "Christ" spelled in
Greek (Xpistos). The "A" and
upsidedown "U" are the
Greek letters, "Alpha" and
"Omega," the first and last
letters of the Greek alphabet.
Together they represent
Jesus' words: "I am the Alpha
and the Omega, the first and
the last, the beginning and the
end."