ABC TV | How To Make Christmas Holly Branch From Crepe Paper (Slowly)- Craft Tutorial

The holly tree (common holly, English holly, European holly, or occasionally Christmas holly, Ilex aquifolium ), is a species of holly native to western and southern Europe, northwest Africa, and southwest Asia. It’s the species familiar in Christmas decoration, and is regarded as the type species of the genus Ilex, which by association is also called “holly“. Holly was originally used in pre-Christian times to help celebrate the Winter Solstice Festival and ward off evil spirits and to celebrate new growth. When Christianity came into Western Europe, some people wanted to keep the greenery, to give it Christian meanings but also to ban the use of it to decorate homes. The UK and Germany were the main countries to keep the use of the greenery as decorations. Meanings of Christmas Holly: The prickly leaves represent the crown of thorns that Jesus wore when he was crucified. The berries are the drops of blood that were shed by Jesus because of the thorns. In Scandinavia it is known as the