The legend of the holly wreath

A young orphan boy was living with the shepherds when the herald angels appeared announcing the glad tidings of Christ's birth. On the way to Bethlehem, the child wove a crown of holly branches for the newborn king. But when he laid it before Jesus, the crown looked so unworthy that the little shepherd became ashamed of his gift and began to cry. Then the Christ Child reached out, touched the crown, caused its leaves to sparkle shiny and green, and turned the orphan’s tears into scarlet berries.

Another legend connected with holly tells of when the Holy Family was fleeing to Egypt, Joseph heard the soldiers riding behind them. Since there were no rocks or caves to hide in, the family hid beneath the branches of a holly bush. Normally, the bush would not have offered much shelter since it had lost all its leaves in autumn. However, that night, the holly inexplicably pushed forth its leaves, and grew sharp thorns to hide the family. Since then the holly has become an evergreen plant.

A third legend states that the holly used to have white berries. But when the crown of thorns was woven of holly branches and placed on Christ's head, the blood which trickled onto the crown turned the berries red.

The legend of the lamb's woolly coat

A lamb named Baja lived in the stable at Bethlehem. One night as the holy family slept, Baja crept up to the manger to watch the baby sleep. While she watched, Baja noticed how thin the infant's blanket was and that he was shivering from the cold. Filled with love for the child, Baja warmed him with her own body throughout the night. When Jesus touched her rough, shaggy coat, it was transformed into a beautiful soft wool fleece.