Happy Holly!

Did you know that holly grows on trees? Well, actually, it is a tree- or shrub, depending on how it is pruned. I was astonished to discover that for myself! Holly grows wild throughout the northeast and we have seen a lot of it as we've explored Civil War battlefields.

Holly and Christmas go together like soup and a sandwich!

Holly is a traditional Christmas plant often used in wreaths. Christian tradition says that the pointy leaves represent the thorns of Christ's crown, the perennial green leaves represent eternal life and the red berries represent Christ's blood shed for our salvation. As this Christmas season approaches, I will remember this bit of Christian folklore as a way to keep CHRIST in CHRISTmas!