The custom of bringing evergreens into the home for the midwinter festival dates back to before the dawn of known history. Because Christians hated mistletoe so much, they laid stress in particular on holly, the prickles and red berries being held to be emblematic of Jesus’s passion. Ivy was more simply of decorative value, another alternative to mistletoe, though the bitterness of the berries was held to allegorize the Passion. But holly is the main Christian decoration for both home and church.