The persistent green of conifers in winter celebrations in the north perhaps fulfills a deep need for a sense of vitality and immortality in the dark of winter. The year-round viridescent boughs also grace the winter of life by standing tall in cemeteries reminding us of the cycle of life, death and rebirth, so that we can have hope that life does in fact go on. And so they stand, solid, everlasting symbols of regeneration.