O Tannenbaum

MY KIND OF CAROL

When the first Christmas tree lights appear in my neighbourhood, the melody of O Tannenbaum pops into my head, unbidden. It is a Pavlovian response. O Tannenbaum is not the most beautiful Christmas carol ever written, nor is it rich in religious symbolism, but it touches a sentimental memory chip. In a flash, that melody conjures up childhood Christmases.

On the ranch where I was raised in the foothills of the Sierras in California, there were evergreen trees with long pine needles that were substitutes for the stately firs one usually associates with a proper Christmas tree. My father would have his eye on one that would be just the right size and shape, and proudly haul it in from the fields in his pick-up truck. There was an atmosphere of anticipation when the tree was nailed to the wooden platform (a symbol of the Crucifixion?) and brought into the house. Some of the pine's own cones, nature's decoration, already adorn the tree.

There follows a serious discussion between my father and my mother and older brothers as to where the tree should be placed. Is it too close to the fireplace? Should it be near the window? And then the tree ends up in the same spot it has always been, custom overriding new ideas about design and decoration. From the top shelf in the hall cupboard come the boxes of multi-coloured lights (none of this fancy business of tiny bulbs all one colour), glass ornaments, garlands, tinsel and a silver baby rattle that each of us boys has shared. As my oldest brother places the star at the tip of the tree, my mother begins to sing O Tannenbaum. She sings it in German, as she learned it from her mother. There is a hint of sadness in her voice. She is thinking about my grandmother, who died when my mother was still a girl. O Tannenbaum is a link to a generation past, to a grandmother born in Hanover, Germany, and brought to California by relatives when she was in her early teens to help care for the children and cook for the hired hands. I wonder how many generations in Europe and America have sung O Tannenbaum as the family gathered around the tree.

Dave Brubeck is a jazz composer and musician. His most recent album is The Best of Brubeck 1979-2004 (Universal Jazz).