COLUMNIST: KAREN STEWART-RUSSELL
I am sure I am not alone in having a particular soft spot for the very festive holly. It is believed to protect a home from malevolent fairies and the vibrant bright berries bring light to dark days.
In Celtic mythology, the Holly King is the ruler of the second half of the year until the Winter Solstice when he is defeated by the Oak King who rules until the Summer Solstice.
Holly was often used around a garden to disrupt witches who were said to run across the top of hedges, disliking the spikes of the holly leaves. A holly near the house was believed to protect a home from lightning.
Intrinsically linked to holly is ivy. Bringing this inside brings love, abundance, and wards off negativity. Ivy is a symbol of feminine energy in contrast to holly which is masculine.
Ivy often lives on even after a host plant has died and came to represent the cycle of life, bringing hope that life continues. Its associations with fidelity and loyalty make using it to decorate your home a great way to represent the bonds of family and friends.
It would be remiss to discuss the magic of winter plants without talking about the powerful symbol of peace and love that is the iconic Mistletoe with its delicate leaves and pearlescent berries.
Revered for centuries due to its ability to bloom in the depths of winter as well as for its medicinal purposes, and long before the tradition of kissing underneath the Mistletoe, Norsemen would lay down their arms if they met beneath this beautiful plant, showing its long association with love and harmony.
You may well be a fan of the festive chocolate Yule Log, but did you know that it actually used to be a real log?
For many years, a Pagan tradition has been selecting a log for the fire at Yule, this marks the Winter Solstice, celebrating the longest night of the year and the longer days returning.
The log chosen stands for different things. Oak represented protection and strength, pine for eternal life, and ash for good health. Burning it symbolised the triumph of light over dark.
It would be difficult to find a winter home without a Christmas tree but you may not be familiar with how they used to look.
One of the first Christmas trees was actually a yew, Taxus baccata, which was popularised by Queen Charlotte in 1800, long before the more famous fir tree associated with Queen Victoria. Rather ironically for one of the most poisonous woody plants in the world, the yew tree has a reputation as a symbol for eternal life, likely down to the way it grows. When new branches arch down touching the ground and new stems rise up, it is hard to tell them apart from the old original tree, making it a symbol of rebirth and seemingly immortal.
Here in Scotland, it is said that St. Ninian, a priest in Roman Britain, planted many yews in churchyards including Fortingale in Perthshire. Beltane fires were lit each year in a fissure in the trunk. It is a perfect symbol of the Winter Solstice, the end of the old year and the rebirth of the new.
Whilst walking in your own winter garden or decorating your home with garden greenery, this is the perfect time to take a moment to reflect on the past year, and look towards the exciting possibilities in the new year ahead.
Karen Stewart-Russell lives in the heart of rural Fife. Passionate about the mental health benefits of gardening, she loves to share the joy of growing through her garden wall seed, plant, and book library. Karen has a relaxed, wildlife friendly garden, full of flowers, and is a huge fan of roses. Her latest project is an apothecary garden as her enthusiasm for utilising herbs and useful flowers grows. Follow her on Instagram, or tune in to the Scotland Grows Show to hear more from Karen.