Steve: Hi, this is Steve Webb, your OG Godcaster.
Steve: You're about to hear the LifeSpring Advent Calendar, which was recorded in 2006.
Steve: It's a daily show which will run right up to Christmas Day,
Steve: so be sure to subscribe so you don't miss an episode.
Steve: Now, the story of Advent and Christmas is a timeless story, so it doesn't age.
Steve: However, the links and the phone numbers mentioned on the podcast have all changed but one.
Steve: WhyChristmas.com is still current and active,
Steve: and it's the best Christmas information website on the Internet.
Steve: LifeSpringPodcast.com now forwards you to LifeSpringMedia.com.
Steve: And the phone number you'll hear on the show is changed to plus 1-951-732-8511.
Steve: Hello and welcome back to the LifeSpring Advent Calendar.
Steve: I'm Steve Webb, your host, and it's Day 11.
Steve: I wonder what we'll find behind the door today.
Steve: Let's find out.
Steve: Well, today we're going to be finding out about something that's really part and parcel of Christmas.
Steve: But do you know why?
Steve: Can you guess what we're going to be talking about from the carol that's playing in the background?
Steve: That's right, it's Holly and Ivy.
Steve: And we just might find out about mistletoe as well.
Steve: James, what can you tell us?
James: Holly, Ivy and other greenery such as mistletoe
James: was first used in pre-Christian times to celebrate the Winter Solstice Festival.
James: They were also thought to ward off evil spirits.
Steve: Well, how did these come to be identified with Christianity?
James: When Christianity came into Europe,
James: the early church tried to ban the use of greenery as it was pagan.
James: but a lot of people wanted to keep using greenery to decorate their homes as it was cheerful in the winter.
James: The UK and Germany were the main countries to keep using greenery
James: and the different plants were given new and Christian meanings.
James: So James, what can you tell us about holly?
James: The prickly leaves represent the crown of thorns that Jesus wore when he was crucified
James: and the berries are the drops of blood that was shed by Jesus because of the thorns.
James: And in Scandinavia, holly is sometimes known as the Christ thorn.
James: Ah, very interesting. What about ivy?
James: Ivy has to cling to something to support itself as it grows.
James: This reminds Christians that they need to cling to God for his support in their lives.
Steve: Okay James, we know that apart from holly and ivy,
Steve: there are many other evergreen plants that are also associated with Christmas.
Steve: And probably my favourite and the most famous is the kissing plant, mistletoe.
Steve: What can you tell us about that?
James: Mistletoe actually grows on other trees, commonly willows and apple trees.
James: And it's a bit of a parasite.
James: The practice of hanging it in the house goes back to the times of the ancient druids in Western Europe.
James: It was supposed to possess special powers which would bring good luck to the household and ward off evil spirits.
James: It was also used as a sign of friendship.
James: And that's where the custom of kissing under the mistletoe comes from.
James: And that custom was first started here in good old England.
Steve: I would never have guessed that.
James: Tradition says that you have to pick a berry off the sprig of mistletoe that every time there's a kiss underneath it.
James: and when all the berries are gone, there can be no more kissing,
James: so make sure you get a bunch with plenty of berries on it this year.
James: It's traditional to take decorations down on Twelfth Night,
James: which is also known as Epiphany and is the 6th of January.
James: During the Middle Ages, greenery, including mistletoe,
James: was often left hanging up until Candlemas,
James: and that's when Christians celebrate Jesus going to the Jewish temple as a baby,
James: and that's in early February.
James: To find out more about some other Christmas plants,
James: please go over to whychristmas.com.
Steve: Well, now you have some fun new facts to tell your friends.
Steve: That was day number 11 of the Lifespring Advent Calendar.
Steve: Of course, as always, the theme music today was furnished by Brian Duncan and the Neo Soul Band with This Christmas.
Steve: And the background music today was Chuck Stevens with The Holly and the Ivy.
Steve: Please remember to come back tomorrow.
Steve: You never know what you'll find behind the door.
Steve: For James Cooper, I'm Steve Webb.
Steve: God bless you.
Music: It never gets old. It's a love I need. And it's what I want. And it's what I want for you.
Music: Story and soul. Of a newborn love.
Music: It's a Christmas