When we first moved into our house over forty years ago, there was an old wooden shed at the top of the garden that looked as though it had been built from disused orange boxes. Eventually we decided to buy a new shed thinking that we would only have to lean on the old one and it would fall down. How wrong we were but we did manage to dismantle and dispose of the old one. At the back of the shed we found a small holly sapling no bigger than a twig really but it had a good root system so we transplanted it to the other end of the garden. It thrived! Here is is now dwarfing another shed still going and growing strong. No wonder the carol "The Holly and the Ivy" says of all the trees in the wood the holly bears the crown.
In Christmas and Christianity terms, the white flowers, thorny leaves, red berries and bitter bark symbolise the life of Christ but before Christianity, bunches of holly were fastened to front doors to guard and keep out witches and evil spirits. Today holly wreathes on front doors are regarded more as a sign of welcome to visitors than a deterrent.
No comments:
Post a Comment