O Tannenbaum O Tannenbaum "" (; "O fir tree", English: "O Christmas Tree") is a German Christmas song. Based on a traditional folk song, it became associated with the traditional Christmas tree by the early 20th century and sung as a Christmas carol. The modern lyrics were written in 1824, by the Leipzig organist, teacher and composer Ernst Anschütz. A "Tannenbaum" is a fir tree. The lyrics do not actually refer to Christmas, or describe a decorated Christmas tree. Instead, they refer to the fir's evergreen quality as a symbol of constancy and faithfulness. Anschütz based his text on a 16th-century Silesian
Judith Tannenbaum Judith Tannenbaum Judith Tannenbaum (born February 13, 1947) is an American teaching artist and writer. Born in Chicago and raised in Los Angeles, she has worked in the field of community-based arts, sharing poetry in a wide variety of settings from primary school classrooms to maximum security prisons. She has received grants from the California Arts Council and has written for journals including "PMLA" and "Teaching Artist Journal". Among Tannenbaum’s books are the memoir, "Disguised as a Poem: My Years Teaching Poetry at San Quentin" (Northeastern University Press, 2000) -- a finalist in PEN American Center USA West’s Literary Award