From the recording Ancient Ayres & Carols for Christmas

"The Holly and the Ivy" were part of European winter solstice traditions long before the birth of Christ, but the attributes of the holly were adapted for Christian symbols.The origins of this carol are from pagan times; it was made a Christian carol in the Middle Ages. Holly was thought to bring good luck to the home and protect it from lightning, witches and evil spirits. In song, the holly was male and the ivy female. The holly was connected to the Nativity, the evergreen leaves represented Jesus' eternal life while the white flowers were symbols of the Virgin's Immaculate Conception and of her milk that nourished the infant Saviour. Ivy was not as joyfully welcomed into the home; it was usually banished to the outside, a practice reflected in many medieval holly and ivy carols where the holly holds mastery over the hall while the ivy shivers outside in the cold.

Lyrics

THE HOLLY AND THE IVY

The holly and the ivy, when they are both full grown,
Of all the trees that are in the wood, the holly bears the crown.
O, the rising of the sun and the running of the deer,
The playing of the merry organ, sweet singing in the choir.

The holly bears a blossom, as white as any flow’r,
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ to be our sweet Saviour.
O, the rising of the sun and the running of the deer,
The playing of the merry organ, sweet singing in the choir.

The holly bears a berry as red as any blood,
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ to do poor sinners good.
O, the rising of the sun and the running of the deer,
The playing of the merry organ, sweet singing in the choir.

The holly bears a prickle as sharp as any thorn,
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ on Christmas day in the morn.
O, the rising of the sun and the running of the deer,
The playing of the merry organ, sweet singing in the choir.

The holly bears a bark as bitter as any gall,
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ for to redeem us all.
O, the rising of the sun and the running of the deer,
The playing of the merry organ, sweet singing in the choir.