holly

“… The holly and the ivy,
When they are both full grown,
Of all trees that are in the wood,
The holly bears the crown …”
 
‘The Holly and the Ivy’ is a traditional British Christmas carol.  Holly & ivy have been a mainstay of British Christmas decoration for church use since at least the fifteenth & sixteenth centuries, when they were mentioned regularly in churchwardens’ accounts.
 

The music & most of the text of this carol was first published by Cecil Sharp (1859 -1924) in 1868.  Sir Henry Walford Davies wrote a popular choral arrangement that is often performed at the Festival of Nine Lessons & Carols & by choirs around the world.