Sherry Chandler

From The Human Flower Project:

Clement A. Miles, an authority on English Christmas customs, has declared in an ominous passive voice, “Holly is hated by witches.”

Name one! We have never met a witch, or anyone else, who hated holly, certainly not at this time of year. Ilex is the season’s glory: leaves that shine, berries that cheer, height that humbles. The prickle of holly’s leaf at the season of Christ’s birth portends the thorns of Holy Week.

With greater equanimity elsewhere, Miles also writes: “In some old English Christmas carols holly and ivy are put into a curious antagonism, apparently connected with a contest of the sexes. Holly is the men’s plant, ivy the women’s, and the carols are debates as to the respective merits of each. Possibly some sort of rude drama may once have been performed.” There seems loads of drama still, and plenty of rudeness to go around in this competition - we’d call it a draw.

Julie also provides a link to this rendition of “The Holly and the Ivy” by the King’s Chapel Boys Choir (listen at YouTube):

Here is an example of a lesser known carol (15th century) from Miles’s publication Christmas in Ritual and Tradition, Christian and Pagan (T. Fisher Unwin, 1912):

“Holly and Ivy made a great party,
Who should have the mastery,
In landës where they go.

Then spoke Holly, ‘I am free and jolly,
I will have the mastery,
In landës where we go.’

Then spake Ivy, ‘I am lov’d and prov’d,
And I will have the mastery,
In landës where we go.’

Then spake Holly, and set him down on his knee,
‘I pray thee, gentle Ivy,
Say me no villainy,
In landës where we go.’”

Now that Christmas Day is behind us and New Year’s Eve is practically over, you might be looking ahead to plan your Valentine’s Day festivities.

Kentuckians for the Commonwealth would like you to consider signing up for their third annual I Love the Mountains Day rally in Frankfort.

For the last two years, KFTC brought hundreds of people to Frankfort on Valentine’s Day to celebrate our love of the mountains and lobby in support of legislation to stop the dumping of mining wastes into streams (the Stream Saver Bill). On Valentine’s Day 2008, Thursday February 14, we hope to take the unprecedented momentum we have against mountaintop removal and bring 1,000 people out to push legislators to do the right thing and pass this legislation. We hope to have an exciting day of lobbying, music, and action.

What is Kentuckians for the Commonwealth:

Kentuckians For The Commonwealth is a statewide citizens organization working for a new balance of power and a just society. As we work together we build our strength, individually and as a group, and we find solutions to real life problems. We use direct action to challenge—and change—unfair political, economic and social systems. Our membership is open to all people who are committed to equality, democracy and non-violent change

The link will take you to a sign up page.