Dec. 20th, 2013 11:36 am
The holly and the mistletoe
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muckefuckI understand that I come from a rather unusual background with regard to my interest in and knowledge of plant species. Dad grew up on a farm, gardened, and liked to take us on hikes. (Still does, in fact.) But still, although he's a naturalist, he isn't close to being a botanist and I'm even further away. Even so, I find myself amazed by how little most people seem to know about plants I consider pretty run of the mill.
The Christmas parodies have been out for a while, and "Fuck you, mistletoe" is one that's been posted and reposted by several Friends (for what should be quite obvious reasons). But, as the close-up starting about a minute in shows, the offending sprig clearly has berries which are bright red. I'm not aware of any species of mistletoe with fruits like that; they are generally pale pink at best. I'm not even sure what real plant (if any), that artificial one is designed to resemble.
Close on the heels of that came the inevitable Miley Cyrus parody featuring a topless Santa. The chorus prominently features the line, "What is holly?" Really? Who doesn't know what holly is? There aren't that many plants associated with Christmas--it's basically mistletoe, Christmas cactus, poinsettias, and a handful of evergreens. And only one of those has prickly leaves and red berries. Not to mention that while mistletoe was something we bought in little plastic packages, there was always a holly tree growing outside somewhere near our house. When I was a kid, I'd go out and swipe my own sprig for a buttonhole. To me, asking "What is holly?" is like asking, "What is a sleigh?"
The Christmas parodies have been out for a while, and "Fuck you, mistletoe" is one that's been posted and reposted by several Friends (for what should be quite obvious reasons). But, as the close-up starting about a minute in shows, the offending sprig clearly has berries which are bright red. I'm not aware of any species of mistletoe with fruits like that; they are generally pale pink at best. I'm not even sure what real plant (if any), that artificial one is designed to resemble.
Close on the heels of that came the inevitable Miley Cyrus parody featuring a topless Santa. The chorus prominently features the line, "What is holly?" Really? Who doesn't know what holly is? There aren't that many plants associated with Christmas--it's basically mistletoe, Christmas cactus, poinsettias, and a handful of evergreens. And only one of those has prickly leaves and red berries. Not to mention that while mistletoe was something we bought in little plastic packages, there was always a holly tree growing outside somewhere near our house. When I was a kid, I'd go out and swipe my own sprig for a buttonhole. To me, asking "What is holly?" is like asking, "What is a sleigh?"