Oh by golly...

We might not all still decorate our homes with 'Boughs of Holly' but holly is still considered a traditional Christmas decoration.
It seems to grow very well in my area and I have half a dozen varieties of holly shrubs and trees on my property. Today I decided to get outside and capture some of the beauty of these plants while they are still full of their bright red fruit.
The fruit is slightly toxic to us but the birds and other wildlife are attracted to them but generally don't eat them until after a good frost. The frost seems to make them less toxic.
They look especially beautiful with a fresh coating of snow that seems to make the red berries really stand out.
The only drawback is pruning them. It's like wrestling with a porcupine! Those leaves stab me no matter how many layers I wear!