Berry Christmas
Robins, reindeer and holly; the classic Christmas trilogy everyone knows and loves. Contrary to common belief, however, their natural habitat is not the front of a Christmas card or indeed dangling from the branches of a tree. These three have secret – and year-round lives – which are as intriguing as the activities of Santa himself…
Robins are one of the most common UK garden birds, ranking 10th in the 2014 Big Garden Birdwatch. They famously owe their appearance on Christmas cards to the Victorians, as they represented the red-uniformed postmen who delivered them. Their breasts are not just for photogenic purposes, though; each robin has a unique pattern, like our fingerprint. However, even in winter when they are one of the few birds still singing, Christmas robins are not all they appear. The robin sitting in the top of your snowman is likely to be a Continental migrant from Scandinavia or even Russia – our native robins having bobbied off on holiday to Spain and Portugal. All right for some…
Reindeer have come and gone in Britain over the ages. According to the British Deer Society, reindeer became extinct about 8,000 years ago due to hunting, but are now thriving in the Cairngorms and parts of Cornwall after being reintroduced. Their magnificent antlers more than make up for the lack of a red nose – did you know that both sexes lose and grow a new pair every year? It is thought that the legend of Santa’s flying reindeer originated with North American reindeer herders, who used the hallucinogenic effects of fly agaric mushrooms to keep them warm in the depths of winter. The chemicals in this deadly mushroom make things appear to levitate; hence reindeer began to fly across the sky and the story made its way all over America. Fly agaric is fatal, though, so if you want to see Rudolf and pals, just stay up late on Christmas Eve…
Holly is a prickly subject (apologies for the berry bad pun). Holly is linked to ivy by more than just a Christmas carol; they are both hosts for the holly blue butterfly, which lays its eggs in holly in spring and ivy in summer. It is associated with Christmas because it was the symbol of the Roman god Saturn, whose festival was on the 25th December. Only female plants have berries, and according to recent studies, extracts from the roots and bark are potentially useful for curing skin cancer. And when you are thumping out Christmas carols on the piano, you’re likely to be touching holly wood, as its grainless appearance makes it perfect for use as black keys.
So there you have it, a seasonal trio with unexpected stories to tell. You can use them instead of the terrible jokes in a Christmas cracker, and in the meantime, I wish you a very berry Christmas.