Singing Christmas Trees

THE HISTORY OF SINGING TREES

The year was 1980.  A single, thirty-foot Christmas tree decorated with 135 singing “ornaments” stood in the sanctuary of the First Baptist Church, then located in downtown Orlando. The year is 2017.  Two forty-five foot Christmas trees decorated with 300 singing “ornaments” occupy the worship center of the First Baptist Church of Orlando.

In the time since our first presentation, over 600,000 people from every state in America and from many foreign countries have seen the Singing Christmas Trees.  For over 30 years, a simple program offered as a way to present the true meaning of Christmas to the Orlando community, has become a Central Florida tradition and has gained national and international recognition.  A picture of our 1987 presentation was included in “Christmas in America,” a pictorial book celebrating the various Yuletide traditions in our country.  That picture inspired CBS Television to broadcast scenes from the 1988 presentation on the CBS Evening News on Christmas Day of that year.

The trees, with over 250,000 lights, are all in sync with the music from the 300 voice choir and 50 piece orchestra. The singing ornaments stand for the entire performance on height-adjusting, wooden platforms. A drama cast of over 100, including dancers and children, make up the rest of the participants. Though the program has grown over the years, the two most important elements are the same as they were in 1980: our mission and the dedication of our participants.

We continue to volunteer to assemble and decorate the trees, sing in the choir, play in the orchestra, and act the parts. We continue to follow the 1980 mission of the program – to bring the knowledge of the redemptive love of Jesus Christ – the true meaning of Christmas – to all who witness the Singing Christmas Trees. The singing Christmas Trees from 1980 to 2017 – very different, very much the same.