Have you been ‘decking the halls with boughs of holly’ or stealing kisses under the mistletoe?

Holly has shiny, green, prickly leaves and red berries. In years gone by, it has been used to scare off witches and goblins and as protection from lightning. Holly became popular at Christmas during Roman times. December was a time of worship for the Romans and they decorated their houses with holly. Also during December, Christians celebrated the birth of Jesus so to avoid getting into trouble with the Romans they would also decorate their houses with holly. As Christian numbers increased, holly eventually became a symbol of Christmas.

Mistletoe has green leaves and white berries. It was used by the Druids (before Christianity) during ceremonies and to keep evil spirits away. Kissing under mistletoe was first practised by the Greeks, who believed it had special powers. In Scandinavia, people would often make up after an argument under mistletoe. Then in the 1700s in Britain, a lady standing under mistletoe at Christmas time could not refuse a kiss. And so the tradition of kissing under mistletoe at Christmas grew and grew.

Mistletoe is also special because it is a semi-parasitic plant. This means that not only does it grow on the branches and trunk of a tree, stealing the tree’s food (called a parasitic plant), but it can also grow in the ground on its own and make its own food.

A berry is a fruit that contains more than one seed. The fruit is the soft, fleshy part of the plant, which looks after the seeds. Tomatoes are the commonest berries that we eat. Watermelons are also berries because inside you’ll find lots of seeds. The largest berry you’ll see at the greengrocers is a pumpkin – one giant berry!

Would you believe that a blackberry isn’t a berry at all? Blackberries are made of individual, round fruits that each contain a single seed. Cherries, peaches and plums all contain a single hard seed (or stone) too. They are called drupes.

Many wild birds, insects and mammals wouldn’t survive the winter without eating berries, but many berries you see growing in the wild are poisonous so don’t touch or eat them. If you accidentally touch them, wash your hands straight away.

A berry is a fruit that contains more than one seed.

The fruit is the soft, fleshy part of the plant, which looks after the seed or seeds. Inside each seed is a baby plant, called an embryo.