We’ll be hanging olive wood Christmas ornaments on our tree again this year.
We purchased them in Bethlehem three years ago.
I love the look and color of the wood and the simplicity, too.
They made perfect gifts for our family and friends.
Purchasing olive wood ornaments benefited the Christian community in that little town.
Why are the Bethlehem ornaments made from olive wood?
It’s readily available in Israel, and olive trees come with a storied Biblical history.
The olive tree is a symbol of peace and hope in the Holy Land. . . . The Jews used olive oil for cooking, lighting, and for religious ceremonies. Olive wood was used to make furniture, sculptures, and musical instruments.
We bought our ornaments in 2022 in Bethlehem at the Olive Wood shop. According to them, “the oldest olive tree in the world is located in the nearby village of Al Walaja. (Wikipedia thinks it’s the second-oldest tree).
The store’s website explained that olive trees have an exotic burl. Their handicrafts come from recycled logs. The wood is prized for its durability and interesting grain patterns. It also tolerates high temperatures.
We bought olive wood Christmas ornaments because they were small, memorable, and easy to transport home in our stuffed suitcases!
The Bible and olive products
Olive-related items turn up in several places in the Bible.
King Solomon directed that the inside of the Temple be paneled in cedar, but he had other plans for decoration:
23 Inside the inner sanctuary, he made two cherubim of olive wood, each ten cubits high. 24 One wing of the cherub was five cubits. The other wing of the cherub five cubits. They were ten cubits from the tip of one wing to the tip of the other.
For the Holy of Holies, he also used olive wood:
31 For the entrance of the inner sanctuary, he made doors of olive wood. The lintel and doorposts were one-fifth of the wall. The two doors were of olive wood. He carved on them figures of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers, and overlaid them with gold. He spread gold on the cherubim and on the palm trees. 33 So for the door of the sanctuary, he also made doorposts of olive wood, one-fourth of the wall.
Eleven verses in the Old Testament reference olive oil. It was specifically used for the lamps in the Temple.
And of course, the dove returned to Noah’s ark carrying an olive branch.
Additional art in Bethlehem
I loved the marvelous carvings I saw throughout this shop.
While the wood may be hard, it carves beautifully in the hands of skilled craftsmen.
People living in the Holy Land have been whittling, carving, and creating with olive wood since the beginning.
The Bible provides woodworkers with many ideas of what to carve!
Merry Christmas!
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