THE FIRST CHRISTMAS TREE

If it could be called a “Christmas Tree” at all, the account of this tree was over 2,600 years ago. A young man sat pondering in his heart a story told to him by his father. It is a story of a vision that his father had of a very special tree. The young man wanted to see what his father had seen. As he sat pondering upon this, the spirit of the Lord came upon him and asked him what he wanted. He said that he wanted to see the things that his father had seen. The spirit asked him if he believed that his father had seen this tree of which he had spoken. Then the young man replied, “Yea, thou knowest that I believe all the words of my father.” The spirit then cried aloud saying: “Hosanna to the Lord, the most high God; for he is God over all the earth, yea, even above all. And blessed art thou… because thou believest in the Son of the most high God; wherefore, thou shalt behold the things which thou hast desired.”

He was then told that he would behold the tree that his father had seen and that afterword he would see a man descend out of heaven and that he should bear record that it is the Son of God.

The spirit then said to him, “Look!” and he looked and beheld a tree; and it was like the tree which his father had seen. He described it… “the beauty thereof was far beyond, yea, exceeding of all beauty; and the whiteness thereof did exceed the whiteness of the driven snow.” After he had seen the tree, he said unto the Spirit: “I behold thou hast shown unto me the tree which is precious above all.” The spirit then asked him again what he wanted to know. His response to the Spirit of the Lord was that he wanted to know “the interpretation thereof.” The spirit of the Lord told him once again to look.

As he looked he beheld the great city of Jerusalem and other cities. And he beheld the city of Nazareth, and in that city he beheld a virgin, and she was exceedingly fair and white. And he saw the heavens open; and an angel came down and stood before him; and he said: “What beholdest thou?”

And he said: “A virgin, most beautiful and fair above all other virgins.”

And the angel said to him: “Knowest thou the condescension of God?”

And he answered: “I know that he loveth his children; nevertheless, I do not know the meaning of all things.”

And the angel said: “Behold, the virgin whom thou seest is the mother of the Son of God, after the manner of the flesh.”

And he looked again and beheld that she was carried away in the Spirit; and after she had been carried away in the Spirit for the space of a time the angel once again said to him: “Look!”
And when he looked, he beheld the virgin again, bearing a child in her arms.

And the angel said unto him: “Behold the Lamb of God, yea, even the Son of the Eternal Father! Knowest thou the meaning of the tree which thy father saw?”

And he answered, saying: “Yea, it is the love of God, which sheddeth itself abroad in the hearts of the children of men; wherefore, it is the most desirable above all things.”

And the angel said: “Yea, and the most joyous to the soul.”

And after he had said these words, the angel said unto him: “Look!” And he looked again, and beheld the Son of God going forth among the children of men; and saw many fall down at his feet and worship him.

Taken from the account of Nephi son of Lehi. See 1 Nephi 11:1-24