It's no accident that traditional Christmas colors are red and green, and you don't have to look

any farther than the bow-decking the hall or the wreath hanging on the door to understand why.

Evergreen plants like mistletoe and holly have been part of the Christmas tradition since the

very beginning. Maybe it's not the first thing you think of when Christmas comes to mind. It plays more

of a supporting role, taking a back seat to the Christmas tree and Santa Claus and lights and

snowmen and candy canes. But keep your eyes peeled for the subtle ways it helps to form

the backdrop for the season. You'll find images of it on Christmas cards, Holly patterns on gift

wrap, and forming a bed of greens to festively display decorations and centerpieces on mantles and

tabletops. And even though Holly is inseparable from Christmas today, its use

and traditions date back much farther than Christmas itself. I'm Brian Earle. This is Christmas

past. Imagine you're in northern Europe during ancient times.

You're walking through a forest at wintertime.

The landscape is bleak.

Snow blankets the ground and clings to the bare branches of trees that shed their leaves

months ago.

But not all forms of plant life have gone dormant. Through the blanket of snow

peaks out the shiny, prickly green leaves and red berries of the holly shrub. Our ancient friends

believed that any plant that could thrive year-round must have magical powers. Holly was

considered to be good luck, and it was brought into the house.

That's Sue Hunter, the president of the Holly Society of America.

They've been around since 1947 promoting and sharing knowledge about Holly.

When the rest of the woods went dormant during the wintertime, it was a sign of hope that the world would turn green again,

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