As with many of our Christmas traditions, the use of holly as an important celebratory plant began long before the first Christmas, though Christians have adopted and adapted the tradition to make it their own.

The Romans are credited with originating the custom of gifting their friends with holly boughs during the festival of Saturnalia (which coincides with the Christmas season).Rather like us adding a sprig of holly to a prettily wrapped package or the Christmas pudding.

Druids bedecked their homes with holly during the winter to ward off evil spirits. Today, evil spirits are not such a concern but, we carry on the tradition by using holly as a dominant accent during the holiday season.

To incorporate holly into the new Christian religion, a new legend was born; Holly first appeared where Christ walked. The thorny leaves symbolize His suffering and the red berries, His blood.

There once was a time when holly was considered a herb and used medicinally. Because of holly’s dense wood, it was used to make printing blocks, weaving looms and walking sticks.

Those who are fortunate enough to have holly growing in their home landscapes can cut their own sprigs for Holiday decorating. The rest of us must rely on our friendly florists for fresh cut holly.

Caring For Fresh Cut Holly

-          Wear gardening gloves when working with holly. The leaves have very sharp spiney tips that can hurt

-          remove holly from packaging immediately

-          moisten if necessary

-          keep the cut holly in a cool dark place until ready to use (the refrigerator is great for storing holly)

-          holly sprigs may be put in water. Cutting or crushing the bottom of stems will help them absorb water.

-          Prevent holly from freezing

-          Misting the leaves daily will prolong their freshness

-          Treat holly as you would any fresh cut flower

-          Arrange holly in a shallow container filled with water and keep it watered!

-          Holly dries well and can be kept several years. When dry, the leaf colour become softer and the berries darken and shrivel