"At Christmas I no more desire a rose
Than wish a snow in May's newfangled mirth;
But like of each thing that in season grows."
Shakespeare, Love’s Labour Lost.

Holly is one of our truly seasonal plants in the Northern Hemisphere at Christmas. It provided a simple, effective and colourful natural material for the decoration customs of pre-modern Ireland. Midway through the twentieth century home decorating started to become commercialised, and now we have Christmas shops selling their wares in September! Holly still remains popular, but for city dwellers must now be bought rather than cut off trees in parks and common areas.