the.com/holly
a thorny evergreen so committed to the season it bleeds red in December
means A spiny-leaved evergreen shrub or tree bearing bright red berries, traditionally used as winter and Christmas decoration.
from From Old English 'holegn' or 'holen,' which named the same prickly plant, with cousins across the old Germanic tongues — German 'Hülse' and related forms point back to a Proto-Germanic root. The same family tree gives us the surname Hollis and place-names like Hollywood, the 'holly wood.' Note that 'holly' the plant and 'holy' the sacred word are unrelated despite their shared spirit of midwinter feast — their resemblance is pure coincidence of spelling.
- separate sexes
- only female plants grow the famous red berries
- mildly toxic
- berries can sicken humans and pets if eaten
- sharp strategy
- lower leaves grow spikes to deter grazing animals
- pagan roots
- Romans hung it for Saturnalia long before Christmas
- tough wood
- dense, pale timber once carved into chess pieces
holly hunter — actress who won academy award for best actress in 1994 for 'the piano'
holly madison — reality tv personality featured on 'the girls next door' from 2005-2008
holly golightly — fictional character from truman capote's 1958 novel 'breakfast at tiffany's'