Christmas Traditions - Why Do We Do That?

Christmas - Making Traditions and Memories

Families have traditions that they facilitate on occasions throughout the year-- fireworks on the 4th of July, cake on your birthday.  Christmas traditions are accepted and followed, but I was curious to know where these annual behaviors originated.

Mistletoe and Holly 

Mistletoe - Phoradendren flavescens

American Holly- Ilex opaca

Mistletoe is a hemi-parasitic plant that grows on host plants, usually trees.  The roots attach to tree tops where , thanks to bird dropping, they germinate and grow. Mistletoe draws nutrients from such trees as oak, apple, ash, hawthorn, pear, or sycamore.

The Druids 200 years before the birth of Christ, held the mistletoe in high regard.  Since it had no roots the Druids marveled that this plant would stay green when the mighty oak had turned brown.  Celtic groups believed the mistletoe to have magical healing components and used it as an antidote for poisons, and treatment for infertility.

In English speaking countries this tradition has spread, but this custom is little known in other parts of the world.  The gathering of the mistletoe has a customs of its own - in that the plant must not touch the ground from the harvesting until it is removed from the home.  The mistletoe is the last decoration to be removed from the home and it offers to save the house from fire and lightening. 

The Kissing Ball is another hanging arrangement of various herbs - sage, rosemary, anise and others - with the mistletoe.  Its purpose - kissing - is obvious.  The gentleman picks off a berry with each kiss, and when the berries are gone, so it the enchantment of love and fertility.

Holly as a Christmas Tradition has it's own story.

The Druids, again, believed the holly being evergreen, keeps the world beautiful. And they would wear a sprig of holly to watch the priests cut down the mistletoe which was sacred. 

Holly was the sacred plant of Saturn and during the Roman Saturnalia Festival, Romans gave each other holly wreaths and used the wreaths to decorate images of Saturn.  Since this Saturn festival was in December, Christians soon started using holly when they celebrated Christ's birth.  They used the holly to avoid persecution since the authoities would overlook this display.  This pagan meaning of holly has faded, and is now a symbol of Christmas.

 Christmas comes in the dark winter months in the Northern Hemisphere.   Europeans believed that ghosts and demons were howling in the winter winds.  Holly, with all of its magical powers, was hung over doors and windows to keep the evil ones away.  The fresh greens also freshened the air of a closed up home, and the bright green leaves help lighten the mood. 

The prickly leaves and red berries have come to stand for peace and joy.

Christians have expanded the symbolism of holly to respresent the crown of thorns that Christ wore due to its prickly leaves. The red berries symbolize the shedding of blood.

Holly can be found in all 50 states of the U.S.  It likes acid soil and is either male or female.  This dioecious plant needs both male and female varieties to cross-pollinate.  Only the female plant produces berries.

Enjoy your Christmas Traditions too.  Does your family do something special each year?  Let us hear your story. 

Winter Lingers and Lingers and Lingers

Just trying to make the most of this snowy Feburary in Ohio.  As I said last time, the planning opportunity is just giving me more items on my To-Do List. The Winter Garden can be a magical place. If we take the time, next year we will look out to even more spectacular views.

As you can see in this photo, not only are the shrubs putting on a show, but also the bird feeder and thermometer.  Garden accessories have a year round attraction. Trellis and arbors really hold their own in a backdrop of snow. And evergreens, such as holly, boxwood, and arborvitea, are some of my favorites all year.

I missed a picture of a dozen robins scrounging beneath some crabapple trees.  The fruit was clinging to the trees and the bright red was vivid against the white backdrop.  The robins seemed to be enjoying the meal. When the ground is frozen, food for the birds becomes scarce. So planning to provided for our feathered friends can benefit all of us. Other food sources for birds include viburnum and  hawthorne.

Viburnum is a wonderful shrub that has varying leaf textures, beautiful blossoms in summer, and fruit varieties.  Some fruit is black,(tinus) some red.  The size of each variety varies too.  Viburnum opulus , the European cranberrybush viburnum, grows to 12' or higher. A dwarf variety, Viburnum opulus 'Compactum' is small, only growing to about 6'. This species grows more dense than the Viburnum opulus, but isn't really all that 'dwarf'. A truly small viburnum, maxes out at 2', is the Viburnum opulus 'Nanum'.

Another shrub that holds it berries well through the winter is Aronia, chokeberry. Aronia arbutifolia has red berries, and Aronia melanocarpa has lovely black berries.

Winter may be long, but we don't have to settle for dreary.  A few other plants I'd like to bring to you attention are Sedum, 'Autumn Joy', and all of the various ornamental grasses.  The faded bloom of the sedum shows well with a cap of snow. The burgendy color is anything but dreary.  The ornamental grasses turn golden in late fall and the plumes wave throughout the cold season usaually.  I preface this comment because the very heavy, wet snow - 8" or more - we had last week have buried the grasses into big mounds.  They were pretty while they lasted.  Oh well, there is always next year. 

This brings me back to the 'planning' part of this season.  Look around your yard or garden.  If you don't have lovely scuptures in the snow, plan to pick up a chokeberry or viburnum during the spring planting time.  Add the perennial,s 'Autumn Joy' or one of the many ornamental grasses to your landscape.  The seasons - all of them - are what we gardeners live for.

What is your favorite winter garden element?  Share your ideas of seasonal interest.  Grow and Share!