East Windsor Garden Club says Deck the halls with boughs of holly… Members of the East Windsor Garden Club are collecting holly to decorate for the holiday season. 
In ancient times, the Romans used holly boughs to deck the halls during the December Saturnalia festival, Saturn being the god of agriculture and harvest.
The Druids believed that hanging holly boughs indoors brought good luck and protection from evil spirits. To the Celts, holly symbolized peace and goodwill toward men and they believed that it protected the home against lightning strikes.
The tradition of decking the halls with holly was adopted by Christians from the Roman, Druid and Celtic traditions and the holly wreath came to represent the crown of thorns worn by Christ on the cross, the red berries symbolizing drops of blood.
For gardeners the holly tree is not only a source of holiday decorating material, it is also a prized landscaping plant. Its abundant evergreen leaves provide year-round interest in the garden as well as a protective shelter for birds. In the spring the small white (female) or yellow (male) flowers attract both bees and butterflies and the red berries in winter are not only decorative, they also provide food for the birds.
The East Windsor Garden Club meets on the 3rd Tuesday during the months of Sept – Dec and Mar – Jun. Park Hill, Broad Brook, CT,06016.