December is here, and you may be wondering how you can still keep that beautiful floral vibe in your home, even through these cold winter months. Luckily, there are still flowers that you can use to adorn your home that thrive and bloom in December.
There are two December birth flowers: holly and narcissus. Each of these birth flowers has its own meanings and thrive during the month of December.
If you know someone with a birthday in December, these flowers can also be a beautiful and meaningful addition to a birthday gift!
All about Holly
Holly symbolizes protection and respect, and are popular flowers for gifting and decorating in December. It has been used throughout many cultures since the 19th century as a way to protect the home from evil spirits.
As the December birth flower, you can put Holly in a decorative flower arrangement or wreath to help them celebrate in a meaningful way all month long!
You can also get real holly plants that will bloom small scented flowers during the spring which often attract great pollinators like bees and butterflies.
Holly History
holly is a genus of over 570 species of flowering plants in the family Aquifoliaceae, and the only living genus in that family. Ilex has the most species of any woody dioecious angiosperm genus.
It has many mentions in history, and has been very important to many cultures
- Christians have identified a wealth of symbolism in its form. The sharpness of the leaves help to recall the crown of thorns worn by Jesus; the red berries serve as a reminder of the drops of blood that were shed for salvation; and the shape of the leaves, which resemble flames, can serve to reveal God’s burning love for His people. Combined with the fact that holly maintains its bright colors during the Christmas season, it naturally came to be associated with the Christian holiday.
- The Norwegian municipality of Stord has a yellow twig of holly in its Coat-of-arms.
- The Druids held that “leaves of holly offered protection against evil spirits” and thus “wore holly in their hair”.
- In the Harry Potter novels, holly is used as the wood in Harry’s wand.
- In Celtic mythology, Holly is symbolic of goodwill and peace. And the plant’s lightning resistance created an association with Norse an In Celtic mythology, Holly is symbolic of goodwill and peace. And the plant’s lightning resistance created an association with Norse and Celtic thunder gods – Thor (Norse) and Taranis (Celtic). Planting holly around the house prevented lightning strikes.
Narcissus Flowers
The narcissus is symbolic of good wishes, hope and wealth. Narcissus is actually a genus of flowers, and daffodil is the common name for any of the plants that fall into this genus.
Popular Narcissus plants used for decorating in December are Paperwhites that additionally can symbolize purity and unconditional love. A paperwhite bulb will produce fragrant white blooms and as many as a dozen flowers.
History of Narcissus
As a native of the Mediterranean, the narcissus was brought over to Asia where it became widely cultivated in China. From there, the narcissus made its way into Europe via European colonists and eventually made its way into North America. Today, the narcissus is mainly cultivated in Great Britain, Holland, and The Channel Isles.
- In Kurdish culture, the narcissus is a symbol of the new year.
- Similarly, in Chinese culture, the narcissus symbolizes the Chinese New Year because it is one of the first flowers to bloom in the spring. It is also a symbol of wealth and good fortune for the coming year.
- As a symbol of hope, the narcissus has become an emblem for cancer societies around the world.
As you can see, these flowers are dynamic and meaningful, and officially considered the birth flower of December. Thanks for exploring the history and some fun facts about these amazing flowers! If you’d like to see more festive fun, check out our holiday collection of wreaths and arrangements!
