That's not bowing down in worship to tree or a pagan God.
Given what to you have quoted above to bow down infers worship to the tree.
Honestly, I'd not personally looked at it the way the person that brought it to me had. But setting my personal beliefs aside, I thought it wise to look at it objectively.
Where I live, there is a saying about people puking in their toilets after drinking too much. They call it "Worshiping at the Porcelain Altar"....which involves a similar bodily position and also adds the term worship directly but humorously (as though inaccurate). My personal feeling is that their saying is more accurate than they intend.
My definition of idol worship involves 2 things... 1. an idol (any item) and 2. an
undue amount of respect being paid to it because of love, effort, attention, devotion, etc., that should have been given to God, but instead is given to the idol.
In the case of "Worshiping at the Porcelain Altar" the undue amount of love is given to the alcohol, and the puking is just the action required by that level of devotion. Lesser levels of devotion, of course, require lesser acts of devotion.
So to me, "Worshiping [alcohol] at the Porcelain Altar" does indeed qualify as idol worship, because it meets the criteria.
And what about a Christmas tree? I think each person would have to be honest about how much love they are showing...and more importantly, if their devotion to the action is honestly because GOD requests, requires or even appreciates it., Or is it done for some non-God reason?
And BTW, we ALL have some level of idol worship going on in our lives.
Love in Jesus,
Kelby