Holly

[Scott]

No: HPFGUIDX 2561

Well of course! 

"The Holly and the Ivy,
When they are both well grown,
Of all the trees in the wood, 
The Holly bears the crown...."

Not the most-sung Christmas song but certainly quite well known, I'm 
suprised I din't pick up on this Idea of Holly before...

Scott


> While holly  has much more life-oriented associations. It is a 
symbol of
> Christmas, which is not only the birth of their Savior for 
Christians,
> but the time when the amount of sunlight in the day starts to 
lengthen.
> Holly, ivy, and pine got that Xmas gig because, as evergreens, they 
are
> among the few plants still green and visibly alive in the snow. My
> friend showed me a medieval Tristan and Iseult tale in which King 
Mark
> makes a compromise with Tristan: one will have her when the trees 
are
> green and the other will have her when the trees are bare. King Mark
> chooses when the trees are bare, since then the nights are longer, 
more
> time for bed fun with his reluctant wife, but Tristan triumphantly
> points out that Mark NEVER gets her, since the holly and the ivy are
> NEVER bare.
>