While firs and conifers take most of the attention at Christmas, and mistletoe adds a touch of mystery, the humble holly tree is often taken for granted.
Yet, this ubiquitous evergreen, with its berries and shiny spikey leaves, are as Christmassy as it comes.
How holly became associated with Christmas
Holly is a sturdy and robust tree. Over the centuries it has become a potent symbol of winter and steeped in the traditions and rituals of the countryside. The Holly King was said to rule over the wood until the winter solstice, when control was wrestled back by the Oak King, who would rule for the next six months. Holly was also revered by farmers, who considered it bad luck to cut one down, which is why lone, gnarled trees often punctuate fields and farmland.
Holly has dominated our hedgerows too, offering a hardy barrier to livestock. It often remained uncut, soaring about the layered hedge to form a tall, spiky barrier that stopped prowling witches, who were said to traverse the countryside by walking along the tops of hedgerows.
The tree was also planted close to houses to ward of goblins and evil fairies, and to act as a lightning conductor, a quality that scientists have recently proved to be true, with the leaves’ prickles acting as tiny conductors.
Holly was often seen as a powerful fertility symbol, because although it is dioecious – meaning that individual trees are either male or female – it is only the latter that bears any berries.
The Victorians popularised holly on Christmas cards and in carols, but people had been bringing it into their homes on Christmas Eve for hundreds of years, as it protected the house from evil spirits. Christian symbolism has also picked up on the tree, linking the prickly leaves to Christ’s crown of thorns, and the berries to droplets of his blood.
The holly also inspired one of our much-loved Christmas carols 'The Holly and The Ivy'.
One reason holly thrives is that it is very shade tolerant, and happily grows in the understorey of beech- and oakwoods. And this is why, as Britain industrialised through the 1800s, holly made it into our cities too. Wealthy Victorians often planted holly to give some relief from the gloom of the city, with the trees also proving resistant to the smog and dirt.
And it's not just humans who celebrate it. This tree provides a welcome winter feast for birds. Its berries start to appear from around October onwards, and are a crucial winter food for blackbirds, thrushes and winter visitors such as redwings and fieldfares.
Perhaps this humble tree really does have magical properties after all.