In the second part of East Midlands Today's series on the history of carols, Carol Hinds looks behind The Holly and The Ivy. She hears ... to Lithuania's eastern border. Video, 00:01:22Watch ...

The holly has little sharp points all around its edges, much like a thorn and one can easily prick a finger by touching the leaf carelessly. The berries represent the drops of Blood He shed.

Annie Lennox performs “The Holly and the Ivy,” a traditional English Christmas carol since at least the early 18th century, in 2014. Another state agency, the Washington Noxious Weed Control ...

Picture: Alamy Credit: Alamy Ivy Ivy has been used to decorate homes and churches, alongside holly, since at least the 15th and 16th centries: in early carols, it was often used to symbolise ...

Gardeners may wonder how two unrelated evergreen plants like holly and ivy became so closely entwined for the holidays. Like many other aspects of Christmas, you have to look to pagan traditions ...