by Annie Yorty

Holly—we use its boughs to deck the halls in preparation for Christmas festivities. At least that’s what the song says. Fa la la la la, la la la la. The glossy evergreen leaves complement the plump crimson berries, making holly a fitting symbol of Christmas.

Symbol of Christmas in My Backyard

The other day I grabbed some pruning shears and a coat to go on a backyard expedition. I had a hankering for some holly to enhance my Christmas decorations. I braved the frosty air, hoping the birds had not stolen all the berries for their winter feast. When I looked closely at my unruly bush, I found evidence of red lurking beneath the jagged leaves. I plunged my shears into the depths and snipped. Ouch!

When I drew out the berry-laden branch, I found traces of blood where the points on the holly leaves had scratched my hand. Determined, I repeated the action several more times until I collected enough for my decorating needs.

A Carol’s Symbol of Christmas

Have you ever listened to all the verses of the old English Christmas carol, The Holly and the Ivy? Some form of this song has been around for hundreds of years. The version we sing these days was collected in the early 1900s by Cecil Sharpe.  Its lyrics help us understand how this plant became a symbol of Christmas.

The holly bears a prickle,

As sharp as any thorn,

And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ

On Christmas Day in the morn.

My sore hand can attest to the fact that my holly bush has a “prickle.” As I lament my slight wounds, my mind goes to the wounds of Jesus caused by the crown of thorns pressed into His scalp. The baby whose birth we celebrate at Christmas endured the pain of that crown along with scorn, utter humiliation and death.

Thorns for Jesus’ Head

Some of the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into their headquarters and called out the entire regiment. They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him. They wove thorn branches into a crown and put it on his head, and they placed a reed stick in his right hand as a scepter. Then they knelt before him in mockery and taunted, “Hail! King of the Jews!” And they spit on him and grabbed the stick and struck him on the head with it. When they were finally tired of mocking him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him again. Then they led him away to be crucified.(Matthew 27:27-31 NLT)

Another verse of the carol directs our attention to the symbolism found in the berries produced by the holly bush.

The holly bears a berry,

As red as any blood,

And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ

For to do us sinners good.

The scarlet berries remind us that Jesus bled and died as a sacrifice to pay the price for all the sins of Mankind.

The Roman soldiers who mocked Jesus’ deity didn’t know they were crucifying the King of kings, the One who had created them. God kept them in the dark to fulfill His plan of redemption through Jesus’ death on a cross. His humiliation and suffering opened the doorway for undeserving people—that’s you and me—to enter into eternal life. The evergreen of the holly symbolizes this gift.

Our Response to Jesus

God has now revealed the deity of Jesus. How will you respond to His supreme sacrifice of love? How can you enthrone Him in your heart?

To crown Jesus as our King, we can follow His humble example this Christmas. While we hope for joy and love to permeate all our interactions during the holidays, reality sometimes differs from our expectations. Maybe the store clerk slighted you after you waited in line forever. Or perhaps a family member belittled your beliefs. Maybe you felt embarrassed because you didn’t have time to prepare your home in the way you wanted. In the bustle of the season when nerves fray, it would be easy to take offense.

Instead, what if we follow the example of Jesus when He was humiliated? Give grace to those who overlook you. Forgive the one who hurts you. Imitating Jesus in our humbling circumstances can open the door to eternal life for another undeserving recipient. And if you happen to be the one who stumbled into sin, humble yourself and confess to receive the joy of a forgiven heart.

Remember Jesus when you see holly, the symbol of Christmas.

When we see sprigs of holly, a symbol of Christmas, sprinkled among the festive décor, let’s remember Jesus not only as a baby, but also as our conquering King and Savior.

Join the conversation:

How do you demonstrate that Jesus sits on the throne of your heart?

I welcome your comments!

Do you know a mom who’s raising a child with special needs? Please help me spread the word about my new podcast with weekly Bible encouragement for moms of special needs kids.

Ordinary Moms of Extraordinary Kids

Bible Encouragement for Special Needs Moms

Parenting a child with special needs requires extraordinary courage, strength, and perseverance. But what if you feel you don’t have all that it takes? What if you’re just . . . ordinary?

Annie Yorty is an ordinary mom who has been mothering an extraordinary daughter with Down syndrome for many years. She is learning to rely on God to supply the “extra” to her ordinary parenting.

God’s Word instills courage within us. That’s why Annie opens the Bible every Monday morning to offer God’s encouragement, support, and hope to other ordinary moms fighting beside her in the trenches of special needs parenting.

Annie always keeps it real about life with extraordinary kids. She never sugarcoats or minimizes the daily struggles. With calm confidence in God, she mines His Word for precious gems of truth to apply to the rough and tumble of parenting children who have special needs. The encouragement you receive will sparkle in your heart all week long.

Copyright ©2022 Annie Yorty