When we put a star on the top of our Christmas tree, it symbolizes the star of Bethlehem. The star was seen and helped guide the Three Wise Men to Jesus's birth place when he was born on Christmas. There are 3 types of stars we see during Christmastime. The most common is the 5 pointed star, then a specialized 8 pointed star with elongated top and bottom point (star of Bethlehem), and the 3-dimensional figure known as a Moravian star. Once Christianity became more popular, so did a star symbol going on top of the tree.