New Year Greeting

Black text over an illustration of holly on a white background

Holly is a genus of around 600 species of shrubs and trees in the family Aquifoliaceae. A great number of these species are cultivated as ornamentals for their distinctive foliage and red or black fruits, which will endure well into the winter and are popular for holidays at that time of year. As a modern-day symbol, holly can represent happiness, peace, and optimism. In Christian tradition, holly represents protection and safety, as well as rebirth and renewal, as it is the last birth flower of the year and brings hope for the new year. The traditional use of holly as a holiday decoration can be traced as far back as to a pre-Christian era when Druids in England and northern Europe would use it as a symbol of fertility and new life. These Druids also believed that holly could protect people from harm, bring good luck to the home, and ensure a bountiful harvest.