Christmas Holly
Christmas holly and the approach of the winter holiday season don't hold the same meaning for everyone. For those of us keenly aware of the cycle of the seasons, the approach of Yuletide means the winter solstice is coming. In the snowy North, the winter solstice is the day on which the rest of the year pivots for lovers of landscaping and gardening.
"Things have to get worse before they can get better." Those of us in northern climes who enjoy seeing plants growing outside understand the wisdom behind this observation, when autumn draws to a close and the winter solstice approaches. On the one hand, with each passing day of autumn we are robbed of more and more daylight. On the other hand, we know that, when the winter solstice does arrive, we'll turn the corner: the shortest day will have been reached, and from then on we can only gain daylight -- imperceptibly, to be sure, but also inexorably.
Ancient peoples, who spent more time outdoors than we do, were acutely aware of this annual ebb and flow of daylight, the two poles of which are the winter solstice and its summer counterpart. For the Celts, what we know as Christmas holly trees had a place in their rituals marking these two poles, each of which indicate when the sun is at its greatest distance from the equator. Here are the essential facts about the summer and winter solstice:
- In the Northern Hemisphere the summer version occurs approximately on June 21, when the sun is in the zenith at the tropic of Cancer.
- The North's winter solstice occurs around December 21, when the sun is over the tropic of Capricorn.
- The summer event is the longest day of the year (most daylight hours).
- The winter solstice is the shortest (fewest daylight hours).
In Christian folklore the prickly leaves of Christmas holly trees came to be associated with Jesus' crown of thorns, while their berries represented the drops of blood shed for humanity's salvation. This symbolism can be found, for example, in the Christmas carol, "The Holly and the Ivy". Christian folklore also identified Christmas holly wood as the wood used to build Jesus' holy cross. In fact, some scholars think that the word, "holly" is simply a corruption of "holy," although there is no general consensus on this point.
But what there is a general consensus on is the diversity and versatility of Christmas holly trees, which is the subject o As noted on Page 1, holly plants are a diverse lot, being "one of the few genera that can be grown in all 50 states" in the U.S., as Andrew Bunting, curator of the Scott Arboretum at Swarthmore College, writes. There are hundreds of species, distributed amongst all the continents except for Australia and Antarctica. The plants come in all sizes, ranging from spreading dwarf shrubs 6" in height to trees 70' tall. Their shapes vary from rounded to pyramidal to columnar.
Holly is prized in Christmas decorations, and adds visual interest to a color-starved northern landscape. But Botanical.com also reports medicinal uses for holly. Herbalists traditionally used holly leaves to treat fever and other ailments. "The berries possess totally different qualities to the leaves, being violently emetic and purgative, a very few occasioning excessive vomiting soon after they are swallowed."
Christmas Holly Carol
ReplyDelete(a famous Christmas holly carol that people sing during Christmas)
The Holly and the Ivy
The holly and the ivy,
When they are both full grown,
Of all the trees that are in the wood,
The holly bears the crown.
The rising of the sun
And the running of the deer,
The playing of the merry organ,
Sweet singing in the choir.
The holly bears a blossom
As white as the lily flower,
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ
To be our sweet savior.
The holly bears a berry
As red as any blood,
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ
To do poor sinners good.
The holly bears a prickle
As sharp as any thorn
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ
On Christmas day in the morn.
The holly bears a bark
As bitter as any gall,
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ
For to redeem us all.
The holly and the ivy,
When they are both full grown,
Of all the trees that are in the wood
The holly bears the crown.
ReplyDeleteHand Made Christmas Holly Leaves
Kids can utilize their Christmas vacations to make hand made Christmas holly that can be used as a decoration piece and they can also gift their relatives specially their grand parents on Christmas because this Christmas present will surely make them happy. The tips to make hand made Christmas holly are given below:
Trace the holly leaves on a thick cardboard and cut it accordingly.
Cut a green glace paper in form of holly leaf according to the size of the cardboard.
Stick the green glace paper leaf on the cardboard.
Now use red color glace paper to cut the berries from it and paste these berries in between the holly leaves.
Use a black marker to make eyes on the red berries if you want to give them a cute look.
You can now present these Christmas holly leaves to your near and dear ones.
Holly Christmas Cookies
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1 (16 ounce) package large marshmallows
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons green food coloring
4 1/2 cups cornflakes cereal
1 (2.25 ounce) package cinnamon red hot candies
Directions
In a saucepan over low heat, melt together the marshmallows, butter, vanilla, and food coloring. Mix in the cornflakes cereal.
Drop by spoonfuls on wax paper, and decorate with red hots. Set aside, and allow to cool.
Here's is the pic.
http://images.media-allrecipes.com/userphotos/250x250/00/00/55/5581.jpg
Some interesting facts about Christmas Holly
ReplyDeleteHolly's Association With Christmas
The first interesting fact about Holly you'll find surprising is this: since the Christian Church borrowed many of the Roman customs when it came to celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ, they used Holly in their rituals as well. However, the Christian Church associated Holly leaves with the crown of thorns that was worn by Christ during His crucifixion. And, the red berries of the plant represented His blood.
The Official State Tree of Delaware
On May 1, 1939, the state of Delaware adopted The American Holly as their official tree. There are more than 400 different types of Holly which grow as either flowering shrubs or trees, but this one can grow up to 60 feet tall.
Holly Wood Makes Fine Chess Pieces
Another interesting fact about Holly you'll find surprising, is that the pieces in fine Chess sets are often made of Holly wood. The wood is naturally hard, shows no grain, is white in color and it polishes up nicely, so it's most suitable for this use. For the black pieces, the white Holly Wood is dyed black. Holly wood has also been used to make piano keys.
Holly Berries: Food for Animals, Poison to Humans
Birds and animals eat Holly berries in the winter time when their food supplies are low. But, the same berries are mildly poisonous to humans. If you eat Holly berries, you can suffer from a stomach ache, nausea and vomiting, and diarrhea.
Medicinal Uses for Holly
Even though Holly berries are known to be toxic to humans, an interesting fact y you'll find surprising is that extracts of this plant have long been used as homemade remedies for fever, gout, pleurisy, smallpox, lightheadedness, kidney stones, high blood pressure, chronic bronchitis, rheumatism, arthritis, jaundice, and even, cancer.
Holly is a symbol of eternal life. Other evergreens to bring into your home this Christmas include ivy, rosemary, bay leaves and, of course, mistletoe. The Holly has perhaps the finest berries of all Christmas plants.The holly has evolved prickly leaves to prevent browsing animals from eating it. Interestingly, you'll tend to find these prickly leaves (called "He Holly") low down on the plant, where they would be within easy reach of deer and cattle. Higher up the plant, however (out of the reach of browsers), you'll notice that the leaves are much more rounded (the so-called "She Holly").
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