11th December: Holly

Holly - because we did Ivy the other day and Christmas is coming.

1. The Latin name for holly is Ilex, meaning the holm-oak or evergreen oak.
2. A holly tree may be male or female. Only the female trees produce berries, although both produce flowers.
3. Holly berries are toxic to humans, but birds love them. Mistle thrushes in particular are known for guarding holly bushes and fighting off other birds trying to get at their berry stash. This might be because the berries have been known to ferment and birds can get drunk on them.
4. There are about 400 species of holly.
5. Ancient Romans and druids believed that holly gave protection form Lightning strikes, which was why they started bringing it indoors. They also wore holly wreaths on their heads, which sounds painful but is presumably less so than getting struck by lightning. It was also thought to ward off witchcraft, so the Romans would give gifts of holly to their friends during the festival of Saturnalia. Modern science has discovered that holly leaves are actually mini-lightning conductors and do protect other trees nearby from being hit. To the best of my knowledge, no scientist has yet shown that holly keeps Witches away.
6. Holly trees can grow up to 15m and live for 300 years.
7. Early Celtic Christians associated the prickly holly leaves with the crown of thorns and the red berries with the blood of Christ. The German word for holly is "christdorn" meaning "Christ thorn."
8. Holly wood is white, hard and close-grained. According to folklore, holly branches could control Horses, and so ploughmen and carriage drivers would make their whips from it. Harry Potter's wand is made from holly wood.
9. Other superstitions connected with holly are that it is unlucky to cut down a holly tree. In 1861 the Duke of Argyll had his road rerouted around a famous holly tree for this reason. The English believed that if holly wasn't removed from the house after New Year's Eve, bad luck would follow.
10. In heraldry, holly is used to symbolise Truth.

My Christmas Novella!

A Very Variant Christmas

Last year, Jade and Gloria were embroiled in a bitter conflict to win back their throne and their ancestral home. This year, Queen Jade and Princess Gloria want to host the biggest and best Christmas party ever in their palace. They invite all their friends to come and bring guests. Not even the birth of Jade's heir just before Christmas will stop them.

The guest list includes most of Britain's complement of super-powered crime-fighters, their families and friends. What could possibly go wrong?

Gatecrashers, unexpected arrivals, exploding Christmas crackers and a kidnapping, for starters.

Far away in space, the Constellations, a cosmic peacekeeping force, have suffered a tragic loss. They need to recruit a new member to replace their dead colleague. The two top candidates are both at Jade and Gloria's party. The arrival of the recruitment delegation on Christmas Eve is a surprise for everyone; but their visit means one guest now faces a life-changing decision.

Meanwhile, an alliance of the enemies of various guests at the party has infiltrated the palace; they hide in the dungeon, plotting how best to get rid of the crime-fighters and the royal family once and for all. Problem is, they all have their own agendas and differences of opinion on how to achieve their aims.

Not to mention that this year, the ghosts who walk the corridors of the palace on Christmas Eve will be as surprised by the living as the living are by them.

Available from Createspace, Amazon and Amazon Kindle