I have just discovered the 18th-century hymn “Jesus Christ the Apple Tree,” on this G.K. Chesterton site., where you can read good meditations on its meaning. It is thought to have been written by a New Englander, and has been set to various tunes. The most common seems to be the one by Elizabeth Poston, of which this video records a nice rendition.

The hymn has become associated with Christmas, and I’d like to add it to our own family’s collection of carols, at least by next Christmas. “Under the shadow I will be, Of Jesus Christ the apple tree. ”