The ilex or holly, and the ivy, both evergreen plants are traditional Christmas symbols: the holly for part of the same reason as the Glastonbury Rose is, because it represents the Crown of Thorns ...

according to plant conservation charity Plantlife. Of the two, ivy – shapely and curvaceous – was said to represent the feminine as compared to the spiky, angular masculinity of holly.

While those traditional plants make great presents and can ... In pre-Christian times, people used ivy along with holly and mistletoe to celebrate the Winter Solstice; today, people still often ...

But the sacred symbolism of holly and ivy extends even further back into medieval England. Holly and ivy are traditional rivals in the forest, representing masculine and feminine traits ...