Christmas tree

A Christmas tree (sense 1).

A diagram of the Christmas tree (sense 2.3.2) at the former Glasgow Air Force Base in Montana, USA.

A Christmas tree (sense 2.4) used to signal the start of a drag race.

The Christmas tree (sense 2.5) at the top of a wellhead in North Dakota, USA.

A moodjar (Nuytsia floribunda), also known as a Christmas tree (sense 4).

The pohutukawa (Metrosideros excelsa) is also known as the Christmas tree or New Zealand Christmas tree (sense 5).

From Christmas +‎ tree, a calque of German Weynacht Baum (obsolete, 17th c.), Weihnachtsbaum, from Weynacht, Weihnacht (literary or poetic variant of Weihnachten (“Christmas”)) + -s- (genitive interfix) + Baum (“tree”). The custom of Christmas trees was adopted in the United Kingdom from Germany in the 19th century, having been popularized by their use by the royal family during the reign of Queen Victoria from 1837 to 1901.^[1]

Sense 3 (“Christmas party”) refers to the fact that there is usually a Christmas tree (sense 1) at the event.^[1]

• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: krĭsʹ-məs-trē, IPA^(key): /ˈkɹɪsməs tɹiː/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈkɹɪsməs ˌtɹi/

• Audio (General American):

  (file)

• Audio (Canada):

  (file)

• Hyphenation: Christ‧mas tree

Christmas tree (plural Christmas trees)

2. An evergreen tree (usually a conifer), or an artificial tree made to resemble this, which is typically decorated with lights and ornaments and often an angel or star at its tip, and used as a decoration during the Christmas holiday season.

   Synonyms: holiday tree, Yule tree

   Hypernym: tree

   Hyponyms: Charlie Brown Christmas tree, Charlie Brown's Christmas tree, Charlie Brown tree

   • 1807, Augustus von Kotzebue, chapter XI, in , transl., The Pastor’s Daughter, with Other Romances. , 2nd edition, volume I, London: Henry Colburn, , →OCLC, page 220:

     "I and your mother," he wrote, "sit in the evenings, and gild apples and nuts, because we intend to dress up a Christmas tree, […]["]

     A translation of a German work.

   • 1856 September 20, “The Grand Coronation Dinner”, in The Illustrated London News, volume XXIX, London: William Little , →OCLC, page 296, column 3:

     At the head of every table there was a sheep roasted whole, the horns gilt, and the nose tipped with silver. All the fruits were hung upon Christmas trees.

   • 1934, John N Then, “Christmas Customs in Other Lands”, in Christmas: A Collection of Christmaslore, Milwaukee, Wis.: The Bruce Publishing Company, →OCLC, part 2 (Christmas Customs), pages 45–46:

     It was in 1840 that Queen Victoria and Prince Albert had a Christmas tree and so it became fashionable in England.

   • 1958 October 19 (date recorded), Johnny Marks (lyrics and music), “Rockin’ around the Christmas Tree”, performed by Brenda Lee, : Decca Records, published 24 November 1958:

     Rockin' around the Christmas tree / At the Christmas party hop / Mistletoe hung where you can see / Every couple tries to stop / Rockin' around the Christmas tree / Let the Christmas spirit ring / Later we'll have some pumpkin pie / And we'll do some caroling

   • 1960, “O Christmas Tree”, in Ann McGovern, editor, Treasury of Christmas Stories, New York, N.Y.: The Four Winds Press, Scholastic Magazines, →OCLC, page 78:

     O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree, / Your branches green delight us! / O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree, / Your branches green delight us. / They're green when summer days are bright; / They're green when winter snow is white. / O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree, / Your branches green delight us.

   • 1994, Stephen Fry, chapter 2, in The Hippopotamus, London: Quality Paperbacks Direct, page 25:

     At the very moment he cried out, David realised that what he had run into was only the Christmas tree. Disgusted with himself at such cowardice, he spat a needle from his mouth, stepped back from the tree and listened. There were no sounds of any movement upstairs: no shouts, no sleepy grumbles, only a gentle tinkle from the decorations as the tree had recovered from the collision.

   • 1994 August (date recorded), Mariah Carey, Walter Afanasieff (lyrics and music), “All I Want for Christmas is You”, in Merry Christmas, performed by Mariah Carey, Nashville, Tenn.: Columbia Records, published 29 October 1994, →OCLC:

     I don't want a lot for Christmas / There is just one thing I need / I don't care about the presents / Underneath the Christmas tree / I just want you for my own / More than you could ever know / Make my wish come true / All I want for Christmas is you

   • 2023 December 27, David Turner, “Silent Lines …”, in Rail, number 999, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire: Bauer Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 29:

     In 1958, it was reported that for "the fourth year in succession, staff of four South London stations have combined to decorate the booking hall at Peckham Rye station". They installed a nativity scene, models of Father Christmas, and a sleigh driven by huskies, and Christmas trees were placed around the station.

3. (by extension) Something which resembles a Christmas tree (sense 1) in appearance (for example, in having coloured lights) or shape.
   1. (informal) Something which is elaborately decorated.
      • 1985 May 20, Ellen Benoit, “Fit to Fight: Despite Advances in Technology since 1945, the Essential Weapon in the U.S. Arsenal is still the American GI”, in James W Michaels, editor, Forbes, volume 135, number 11, New York, N.Y.: Forbes, Inc., →ISSN, →OCLC, page 230, column 3:

        The modern infantryman is a Christmas tree of weaponry, with grenades and extra ammunition hanging from all parts of his upper body.

   2. (bodybuilding) A pattern of muscles visible in the lower back, resembling in outline the shape of a conifer.
      • 2013, Cory Gregory, “Get Jacked! The 1,000 Rep Workout”, in Fitness Rx, volume 11, number 4, Seatauket, N.Y.: Advanced Research Press, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 56; reproduced with changes as “The 1,000 Rep Workout”, in CoryGFitness‎, September 2021 (22 June 2023 version), archived from the original on 2024-12-19:

        The V-bar pull-up is a great retro exercise I pulled from the Arnold [Schwarzenegger] & Franco Columbo Golden Era bodybuilding days. […] These are great for really developing that Christmas tree in your lower back and the proper arch at the top is key in that regard.

   3. (chiefly military)
      1. (aviation, nautical, slang) A panel of indicator lights in an aircraft or a submarine.
         • 1954 November, Ebbe Curtis Hoff, Leon Jack Greenbaum, Jr., A Bibliographic Sourcebook of Compressed Air, Diving and Submarine Medicine, volume II, Washington, D.C.: Office of Naval Research and Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, Department of the Navy, →OCLC, page 121, column 1:

           Farnsworth and Reed […] have reported on comparative reaction times to "Christmas tree" signal lights with respect to color deficiency. One of the most important color discriminations involved in the operation of a submarine is that of reading the "Christmas tree," a panel of 30 to 60 small jewel-shaped lights, used to indicate whether hull openings, such as hatches and vents, are sealed or not.

           A reference to D Farnsworth, J. D. Reed (1946 February 5) Comparative Reaction Times to Christmas Tree Signal Lights with Respect to Color Deficiency (Project X-265 (Av-153-c); Report No. 10), New London, Conn.: Medical Research Department, U.S. Navy Submarine Base, New London.

      3. (US, aviation, historical) An alert area at an air base with aircraft parked in stubs arranged at a 45-degree angle to a central taxiway to enable them to move rapidly to a runway; these were constructed by the Strategic Air Command of the United States Air Force during the Cold War (generally 1947–1991).
         • 1968 May 1, Colonel Fenlon, witness, “Statement of Maj. Gen. G. H. Goddard, Director of Civil Engineering, U.S. Air Force—Resumed”, in Military Construction Appropriations for Fiscal Year 1969: Joint Hearings before the Subcommittees on Military Construction of the Committee on Appropriations and the Committee on Armed Services, United States Senate, Ninetieth Congress, Second Session on H.R. 18785, an Act Making Appropriations for Military Construction for the Department of Defense for the Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 1969, and for Other Purposes , Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, →OCLC, page 350:

           The existing ramp, the part that the B-52 used, a great amount of it was out in the alert area, on what we call a christmas tree stub at the end of the runway, in a dispersed posture.

         • 1975, Robert Herman Kelting, The Great Bong Bungle, volume I (unpublished dissertation), Madison, Wis.: University of Wisconsin–Madison, →OCLC, page 21:

           At the eastern tip of the runway-taxiway lay the alert area for about nine aircraft, along with an alert building for the airmen to live. This area, called the "Christmas Tree" as a result of the Christmas tree shape of the runway pattern for alert aircraft, had compacted gravel base for concrete, but had not been paved.

         • 1983 April 19, Norman G. Delbridge, Jr., witness, “Questions Submitted by Senator Strom Thurmond, Answers Supplied by Gen. Norman G. Delbridge, Jr., Assistant Chief of Engineers, Office of the Chief of Engineers, Department of the Army”, in Military Construction Authorization Fiscal Year 1984: Hearings before the Subcommittee on Military Construction of the Committee on Armed Services, United States Senate, Ninety-eighth Congress, First Session on S. 720, a Bill to Authorize Certain Construction at Military Installations for Fiscal Year 1984, and for Other Purposes  (S. Hrg. 98-448), Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, →OCLC, page 252:

           The current alert area consists of a "Christmas Tree" configuration with alert parking stubs angled at 45° off of a central taxiway.

   5. (motor racing) A pole with lights, similar to a traffic signal, used for signalling the start of an automobile race.
      • 1990 January, Rich Taylor, “Racing 1990: Cheap Thrills: Four Grass-roots Rides—Low Investment, Low Maintenance, High on Fun”, in Joe Oldham, editor, Popular Mechanics, volume 167, number 1, New York, N.Y.: The Hearst Corporation, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 96, column 3:

        Then, after a smoky-burnout to warm up the tires, you're lined up next to another competitor and the Christmas tree lights blink down … yellow, yellow, yellow, green!

   7. (oil industry, slang) A collection of gauges, valves, and other components installed at the top of wellhead to control the flow of gas or oil.
      • 2010, Robert Heidersbach, “Oilfield Equipment”, in Winston Revie, editor, Metallurgy and Corrosion Control in Oil and Gas Production (Wiley Series in Corrosion; 14), Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley & Sons, →ISBN, page 232:

        Wellheads, which support downhole tubing, casing, and other components, are connected at the top of wells to Christmas trees, which control production rates and fluid flows out of the well and may also direct fluids and equipment into the well

   9. (soccer) A 4-3-2-1 formation, with four defenders, three centre midfielders, two attacking midfielders and a striker in a triangular pattern.
      • 2015 August 20, Edward Couzens-Lake, Mapping the Pitch: Football Formations Through The Ages, Meyer & Meyer Sport, →ISBN:

        That or, in the name, something given a title to cover up the fact that all it was, was a football formation. But then the Christmas Tree came along.

      • 2016 May 26, Carlo Ancelotti, Quiet Leadership: Winning Hearts, Minds and Matches, Penguin UK, →ISBN:

        We ended up inventing the Christmas tree formation. It came about as a practical necessity but it married perfectly to the philosophy of the president.

      • 2016 June 2, Henry Winter, Fifty Years of Hurt: The Story of England Football and Why We Never Stop Believing, Random House, →ISBN:

        Even when Terry Venables' Christmas tree tactics has him playing with his back to goal, holding the ball up, taking a bruising from centre-backs, Shearer stays physically strong.

5. (by extension) A Christmas party, especially one organized for (underprivileged) children by a charity, a school, etc.
   • 1922 March, Round Robin, Framingham, Mass.: Dennison Manufacturing Company, →OCLC, page 4:

     The Dennison Associates hold a Christmas Tree for Children and more than 300 little tots are entertained.

7. (Australia) Often with a descriptive word: any of several shrubs or trees native to Australia which bloom in summer at the end of the year around Christmastime, and so may be used as a Christmas decoration; especially the fire tree or moodjar (Nuytsia floribunda).
   • 1844, Mrs. Charles Meredith [i.e., Louisa Anne Meredith], chapter XIII, in Notes and Sketches of New South Wales. During a Residence in that Colony from 1839 to 1844, London: John Murray, , →OCLC, page 127:

     SYDNEY CHRISTMAS-TREE [running head] […] The shrub chosen as the Sydney "Christmas" is well worthy of the honour […] The flowers, which are irregularly star-shaped, […] continue increasing in size, and gradually ripening in tint, becoming first a pearl white, then palest blush, then pink, rose-colour, and crimson: the constant change taking place in them, and the presence of all these hues at one time on a spray of half a dozen flowers, has a singularly pretty appearance.

   • 2021, Melissa Connell, Catherine Lawson, Grace Hamill, “Geraldton and Wildflower Country”, in 100 Things to See on Australia’s Coral Coast: + Karijini and the Pilbara, Bulli, Wollongong, N.S.W.: Exploring Eden Media, →ISBN, page 51, column 2:

     In summer, Nuytsia floribunda or WA [Western Australian] Christmas tree dot the roadsides and fields. Christmas trees have long been known to the Noongar people as moodjar, who say the trees hold the spirits of their ancestors. It blooms consistently October to December, signalling the arrival of Christmas, and is believed to be the largest parasitic tree in the world.

   • 2023, Derek Harvey , “Mediterranean-type Shrublands”, in Rob Houston, editor, Habitats: Discover Earth’s Precious Wild Places, London: Dorling Kindersley, →ISBN, page 74, column 1:

     The moodjar (Nuytsia floribunda), also known as the Christmas tree because it flowers during the southern summer festive season, has roots that infect neighbouring trees.

9. (New Zealand) Synonym of pohutukawa (“a coastal evergreen tree, Metrosideros excelsa, native to New Zealand and producing a brilliant display of red flowers with prominent stamens around Christmastime”)

   Synonym: New Zealand Christmas tree

   • 1884, Alex Wilson, “Auckland”, in Alex Wilson, Rutherford Waddell, T. W. Whitson, Maoriland: Illustrated Handbook to New Zealand, Melbourne, Vic.; Sydney, N.S.W.: George Robertson and Co. , →OCLC, page 157:

     Another interesting and characteristic tree confined to the province of Auckland is the pohutukawa (Metrosideros tomentosa) or Christmas tree of the settlers, so called from its blooming at the Christmas season and taking the place, in household decoration, of the berried mistletoe and holly.

   • 1907 October 26, Constance A Barnicoat, “New Zealand Wild Flowers”, in Country Life, volume XXII, number 564, London: George Newnes , →OCLC, page 589, column 1:

     Perhaps the most strikingly beautiful New Zealand flower is the pohutukawa (Metrosideros tomentosa), a close relation of the ratas. It, too, has brilliant red flowers, also spiky, and from their season of blooming it is sometimes called the Christmas-tree.