Easy Fish Chrismon Patterns With Beads and Wire

The tree at Second Presbyterian Church in Little Rock is decorated with Chrismons, symbols of Christ, including crosses, crowns, doves and Greek letters.

— When Jane McCain looks at the crown atop the Chrismon tree at Second Presbyterian Church in Little Rock she sees a reminder of her late husband, Lloyd. He made the tree topper, along with some of the other gold and white ornaments that adorn the tree each Advent.

"I'm so proud whenever I see that crown," McCain said.

Lloyd, a lawyer, would make the ornaments in his spare time and made many over the years.

"It was fun for him," Mc-Cain said. "And it's really rewarding to see that big, beautiful tree. It's huge and it gives you a nice warm feeling." Chrismon trees are a common sight in many churches during the days leading up to Christmas. The word Chrismon comes from a combination of Christ and monogram. The ornaments, most always white and gold, are symbols for Christ and Christianity, some of which date back to the earliest days of the faith. The trees are most commonly found in Protestant congregations.

The tree has been a tradition at Second Presbyterian Church since 1977 and was started by member Annis Hill.

Emily Hall, 70, said she remembers watching her mother make ornaments at Annis Hill's home years ago, in an era when people dressed more formally for social calls.

"I can still see my mama and her friends sitting on her sofa with their little hats on and beading the Chrismons," Hall said.

The original ornaments were made with wire and beads. The men of the church often had to help bend the wire and ended up making many ornaments. Hall said women of the church latermade crossstitch and needlepoint ornaments, as well as some out of sequins and beads.

Hall said the tree is put up for Advent and on the first Sunday of the season the story of the tree and the meaning of the symbols is retold.

"It reminds me that our symbols of our Christian beliefs are so varied," Hall said.

TEACHING METHOD

A Chrismon tree is also part of the Advent celebration at Peace Lutheran Church in Rogers. Members gathered on Sunday morning to make new ornaments for this year's tree and to learn about the meaning of the various symbols.

Daphne Smith, minister of discipleship development, said the event is a way to teach everyoneabout the tradition.

"Last year I realized the younger children didn't understand" the significance of the Chrismons," Smith said. "So I decided to have a workshop. It's a great hands-on activity."

Smith said she encouraged each child to make two ornaments - one to take home and one to hang on the church tree. Each church ornament includes the maker's name and the date, as a historical record for future years. Adults also made ornaments to add to the tree. The original ornaments, still in use, are at least two decades old, Smith said.

Popular patterns include the Trinitarian, an equilateral triangle; three entwined circles, which also represent the Trinity; and the chi rho, a combination of Greek letters representing Christ. Smith said images of fish and crowns and crosses are also frequently used, as well as the five-pointed star and the fleur-de-lis, which often represents a lily, which is used to signify the Resurrection.

The ornaments at Peace Lutheran are commonly made of white plastic craft foam and decorated with white or gold beads, ribbon and glitter. Some are simple shapes, while others are ornately detailed. That's one reason this year's ornaments were signed and dated.

"We have some very intricate Chrismons and we have no idea where they came from or who made them," Smith said.

Smith said the Chrismon tree is an important tradition for the congregation, one that's rich in symbolism. The evergreen tree signifies eternal life. The white represents the purity of Christ, while the gold is a symbol of his majesty.

"It's a full symbol of the hope and promise we have," she said.

IT WAS BETTY'S IDEA

St. Paul's United Methodist Church in Little Rock has had a Chrismon tree each year since the 1960s. The late Betty Drawbaugh, a longtime member, saw an article in Southern Living magazine about Chrismons and traveled to Ascension Lutheran Church in Virginia to learn how to make the ornaments under the direction of Frances Kipps Spencer, who is credited with starting the trend. Drawbaugh began making the ornaments using Spencer's patterns.

"She wanted to do something a little different, something with the tree that would be more meaningful, more representative of Christmas," said pastor Blake Bradford.

Bradford said the Chrismons were such an important ministry to Drawbaugh that the congregation organized a large display of the ornaments for her memorial service in August.

In the early days, the church used a towering, fresh-cut evergreen. Tightly bundled, the tree was easy enough to get in the church. Getting the unfurled tree out was another matter. The trees were usually so large they had to be cut into pieces to be removed, Bradford said.

In the 1990s, the congregation began using an artificial tree.

"It's about half the size and I still have to get on the highest ladder we own," Bradford said.

The tree is set up and decorated the day before Advent begins. Cathy Drilling's Sunday School class has been carrying out the task for decades, using the original ornaments made in 1966. Some of the Chrismons were made by Drilling, now 57, when she was in junior high school.

Drilling said she enjoys the enduring tradition of the Chrismon tree.

"There's never been a year since it started that we have not had one," she said.

Bradford said the tree and ornaments have a deep meaning to the congregation.

"It's a proud history," he said, adding that the church is believed to be the first in the Little Rock area to start the tradition, which they shared with others. "These ornaments describe attributes of God and his love for us and remind us of the point of the season. To see the ornaments still up there ... it's exciting to see them every year."

The tradition is also an important part of Advent and Christmas for the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Hot Springs. Bridget Kincheloe, chairman of the altar guild, said a Chrismon tree has been set up each year since 1981 with ornaments made by members.

"Some are so intricate it's unbelievable," Kincheloe said.

Putting up the tree, which is about 20 feet tall, is a threeday process. The ornaments are retrieved from storage on the first day, the tree is assembled and strung with lights on the second and decorated on the third, usually the Tuesday before Thanksgiving.

The focal point of the tree is the Christian Year Series, a 12-foot section in the middle, with ornaments depicting the liturgical seasons such as Pentecost and Advent and Epiphany.

After the hard work of putting up the tree, Kincheloe said, she enjoys watching the reaction of the congregation as they look at the tree, especially visitors and families on Christmas Eve, many of whom take portraits in front of the tree.

"The tree is extremely important," she said, adding that for some members "it's not Christmas until they see the tree."

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Source: https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2010/dec/18/o-chrismon-tree-20101218/

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