The Tradition of Holly

I think that Christmas is my favorite time of the year. Our tree is up. I have started Christmas shopping. This is going to be a good year. We are getting my son a cheap laptop that he can take to school without fear of having it stolen. He would die if his old dell was stolen.

We are getting my daughter riding lessons. Okay, so that isn't as ostentasious as it sounds. I have an author friend about 20 minutes away who breeds arabian horses. She is going to teach my daughter to ride just for fun.

My hubby is going to buy his own gifts - as usual. That man is so funny. He hates a surprise. We were married six years, as of Dec 9, and this is the first year he is going to let me give him - one- surprise gift.

For me, the fun is in the shopping, baking, decorating, and having friends and family over. Of course, it is hard to get into the season with it raining outside, but I am hoping for snow. We had 2' of it a couple weeks ago. It should return.

You know what I miss? Those little Holly trees you use to buy. They just brightened up an area. Their deep red and green. One of the most popular Christmastime accoutrements, Holly has sharp edges, symbolic of the crown of thorns worn by Jesus at his crucifixion. The red berries represent blood.

However, a more realistic explanation, born in the religious revolutions, goes as follows:

The church forbade the use of mistletoe in any form. It had been used in pagan ritual for centuries and had many idolatrous associations. The general population were having none of this, so they made a substitute,holly.

The Christian ban on mistletoe started in the Middle Ages, and ran as late as the 20th century, when some churches in England forbade the wearing of mistletoe s during services.


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