This is a great lesson to share with your family and to help keep Christ in Christmas! I’m always fascinated with symbolism and how some of these famous symbols of Christmas came to be and what they REALLY mean. The legend of the holly is fabulous, heart warming, and worth sharing with your family! Not to mention I have a super easy recipe (think a spin on Rice Krispie Treats) that I grew up with that also works well for cookie exchanges, neighborhood gifts, or anything you may need to bring a treat to this Christmas Season.
The Legend of the Holly:
When Christ was born in Bethlehem on that first Christmas night
A barren bush outside the stable blossomed full and bright
It bore a grim reminder of the crown he’d one day wear
It’s prickly leaves foretold the thorns of sorrow he would bear
Amidst the green there grew strange fruit – small berries scarlet red
As crimson as the blood our savior was to shed
In honor of the Prince of Peace
A flower pure and white
Blossomed sweetly when the Lord was
born that holy Christmas night.
* Author unknown
Christian tradition assigns significance to Holly:
The perennial green leaves represent eternal life.
According to tradition the pointy leaves
represent the thorns of Christ’s Crown.
The tradition says that holly was used to make
the crown of thorns at Christ’s death.
At that time, the berries were yellow.
In honor of the blood shed by Christ,
for our salvation, the berries turned red.
(While holly is most often pictured as having red berries, the berries come in other colors too.
One tradition say that white berries represent Jesus’ purity… green berries the cross of wood…
and black berries his death.)
These are very easy (so easy you could have your kids to most of the work-who doesn’t love that?!), very impressive looking, and will stand out in a crowd of other cookies.
1/2 c. butter
8 oz. mini marshmallows (or 30 large marshmallows)
1/2 t. green food coloring
1 t. vanilla
3 1/2 c. corn flakes
Melt butter and marshmallows in microwave safe bowl for about 2 minutes or until it is melted together, stirring after each minute in the microwave. Add vanilla and green food coloring to marshmallow mixture and stir until well blended. Then add in the cornflakes and stir. Drop by fork onto wax paper. Press 3 red hot candies while into cookie while still sticky. – See what I mean? E-A-S-Y!
Note to the wise buyer: Red hot candies are much cheaper if you can purchase them in a bag instead of the little jars sold in the spice aisle of your grocery store-so check in your grocery store’s candy aisle for red hots in a bag. I’ve also been able to find big bags at my favorite store-the Dollar Tree.
This recipe makes about 2 dozen.
