O Tannenbaum
O Tannenbaum, O Tannenbaum.
How familiar are the words to O Tannenbaum. Or, are the words familiar? They once were.
I went caroling recently and one of the songs on the docket was O, Christmas Tree. With risk of sounding braggadocios, I know the words to at least the first verse of all the traditional Christmas songs.
So, what happened? I could not remember the words to Oh, Christmas Tree. I was totally stumped. This small failure baffled me enough to give it some thought. What resulted was a walk down Christmas Memory Lane.
One of the memories I encountered on that stroll took place in the 1950’s. Since Christmas was only a few short weeks after Thanksgiving, our elementary class had little time to rehearse for our performance. Unlike some other schools, we did not have a school Christmas program. Instead, we were invited to sing at the bank. Readers may find going to a bank to sing more of an occurences than an occasion. However, I remember it as a really big event for reasons I about to explain.
One of the songs in the repertoire was O Tannenbaum. Yes indeed, we would sing O Christmas Tree in German. Our community was a mix of first and second generation children of German descent with a sprinkling of Polish and Russian. Singing O Tannenbaum was more expected than unusual. Also falling in the not unusual category was the expectation of my parents that my participation should not cause any embarrassment to them. In other words, I was expected to do well. So it was that I not only practiced at school, but also at home until the words to all of the songs, including O Tannenbaum were memorized and sung with full voice (no mumbling or lip sync). This home practice was led by my Scandinavian mother, who had a beautiful voice, but did not sing along with me. So, I was left on my own to remember the words. At some point I would sing for my dad. Unlike mother, he was fluent in German so would know if there was any mispronunciation. I believe my mother was counting on him to make corrections as needed. If I failed the pronunciation test, I never knew it. When I finished singing O Tannenbaum he would applaud and grin. I’m almost certain he believed that my abilities were a step above the children in Garrison Keillor’s’ Lake Wobegon. This paternal praise was almost enough to make me look forward to a live performance at the bank. Almost.
Here’s where the veiled threat came in. You see, the bank gave us a little reward for singing in their lobby. It was a small mesh bag of chocolate covered discs wrapped in gold foil; having the appearance of a bag of gold coins. Ah, sweet justification; a valid reason for me to get dressed up and sing with the gusto of a Metropolitan Opera diva. But, it came with a caveat. My mother would remind me often that if I did not sing with full voice (no mumbling or lip sync) I would not get that bag of gold. Naturally, she was convincing enough for me to rise to the occasion. No one questioned their parents in the 1950’s. Since I was a particularly tall child I was relegated to the back row of the bank singers. I never did get to verify who sang and who didn’t. All I saw was the backsides of my classmates. It never seemed odd to me that everyone received the bag of chocolate coins. I suppose I simply assumed that we all sang perfectly, in English and in German.
Singing aside, the trip to the big, uptown First American State Bank was quite awesome. It was a beautiful building with apparently a vault of gold coins. The lobby floors were probably terrazzo but to a small town kid they were marble from Italy ( I had impeccable and expensive tastes as a child—hence the gold coins were not about chocolate). The bank ceilings rose way above the winding stair to the next level, the tables and desks were polished, and the employees worked behind brass enclosures. There was more than enough space for the largest Christmas tree I had ever seen---even larger than the church tree. Yes, it was a big deal and I was part of it……at least for a short time. Our class didn’t go there every year and soon, it was just a thing I once did.
I was just thinking about my recent lyrical memory loss. Still not sure why I didn’t recall the words, German or English to O Tannenbaum I sought to find a great lesson in this life experience.
And, after thinking a bit I have found more than on lesson. I learned that I do not need to perform—I can just sing Christmas songs for the pure joy it brings me. I learned that parents want their children to work hard and do their very best. I learned that parents are proud of their children even if they’re not perfect. I learned that if I did my best and worked hard, I could buy my own bag of gold coins. I learned that when I forget the words, I have the internet. I learned that my mother didn’t speak German nor did she intend to learn. I learned that I appreciate the German version better than the translated version. No matter. Most importantly, I recognized that O Tannenbaum is still quite a lovely song and a beautiful reminder of the forest—a tribute to things natural and beautiful. Sing along and imagine a snow covered forest of Frazier firs, balsams, spruce, or pines and find peace this Christmas Season wherever you may be. Merry Christmas.
O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree
Thy leaves are so unchanging
O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree
Thy leaves are so unchanging.
Not only green when summer’s here
But also when it’s cold and drear
O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree
Thy leaves are so unchanging.
O Tannenbaum, O Tannenbaum (note: Fir tree)
Wie true sind deine Blatter.
Du grunst nicht nur zur sommerzeit,
Nein auch im Winter, wen e Schneit.
O Tannenbaum, O Tannenbaum
Wie true sind dein Blatter.