Oh the holly and the ivy,
Now they are both full grown,
Of all the trees that are in the wood
The holly bears the crown.
Oh the rising of the sun,
The running of the deer.
All merry folk arise and sing
To greet the dawning year.
Oh the holly bears a berry
As red as any blood,
And the ivy grows beneath the snows
That blanket all the wood.
Oh the holly bears a blossom
As white as any flower,
And the ivy turns the winter wood
To a green and leafy bower.
Oh the holly bears a bark
Bitter as any gall,
And the ivy leaves are shaped like stars
In the skies above us all.
Oh the holly bears a prickle
As sharp as any thorn,
And the ivy climbs on hills and towers
To greet the Yuletide morn.