Deck the Halls with Boughs of Holly

Each Christmas I bring out 2 nativity sets, my 15 wooden nutcrackers, set up our big sparkly freshly cut tree, and set out Christmas theme towels. What next? I love holly. If you have a few holly bushes, or a friend does, you can make a gorgeous bouquet with holly branches, and sometimes plant stores sell the branches.
Last year I learned a new use for holly, to make a mistletoe holder.
Wrap wire around a large potato, and leave wire on the top for hanging it, and at the bottom where you can tie mistletoe. Cut many holly tips, poke holes in the potato with something sharp like an ice pick, and press in the holly twigs to cover the potato with holly tips. Tie on the mistletoe, hang it up, and people will be sure to kiss under it.
Holly are handsome shrubs, and are one of the few plants that grow in all 50 states. If you do some searching, you will find a holly suited to a garden in Maine, or Alabama or any other climate conditions. Since the berries are their glory, you will want to plant a female holly which has the berries, and it is best to plant a male holly nearby. While most hollies have red berries, some holly species have yellow berries, so check first on the berry color before you buy bushes to plant.