10 Mascots of Christmas: Unveiling the Hidden Connection Between Animals, Plants, and the Holiday Tradition

Over the centuries of its evolution, Christmas has become associated with a number of plants and animals. Nowadays, everyone is taking these symbols of the festive season for granted without ever doubting their relation to the holiday. Even more so, not many people know the real scientific side of these biotic resources behind the holiday symbolism. In this article, we will lead you through a jolly countdown of 10 Mascots of Christmas. Those are 10 mini-stories full of interesting connections, unexpected qualities, and even funny misunderstandings, that have put the renowned holiday icons on postcards, in songs, indoor decorations, and people’s hearts. 

10. HOLLY

A famous symbol of the festive season, this evergreen is one among few plants that keep green leaves and red berries throughout the harsh winter. Holly is not a bush but a tree that can live up to 300 years. Only female plants bear berries - a precious winter food source for birds. As for the benefits for humans, holly wood burns long and hot, making it a perfect fireplace fuel on cold winter nights. 

9. POLAR BEAR

A typical image of Christmas campaigns. The fact that polar bears are white furry animals living in environments with a lot of snow - yet another natural symbol of a perfect winter holiday season - has made them a popular choice for many Christmas and winter ads. Literally, they come from a place where Santa is supposed to reside, i.e. close to the North Pole. To help people avoid a common mistake, it’s important to point out: polar bears live in The Arctic (“North Pole”), while penguins inhabit The Antarctic (“South Pole”).

8. CHRISTMAS CACTUS 

In the wild being an epiphyte native to Brazil, this “domesticated” common houseplant blooms during the Christmas season, hence the name. Most Christmas cacti are considered to be hybrids of the Thanksgiving cactus… but that’s a whole other holiday story. For the flower buds to develop, the Christmas cactus needs 14 hours of continuous darkness daily for up to 2 months - a time often referred to as “beauty sleep”. 

7. PARTRIDGE

These birds are not found in pear trees, despite the song lyric in the “12 Days of Christmas”. They’re ground birds. So how did they get so absurdly far from their true habitat? One of the possible explanations is that it was originally ‘a partridge and a perdrix’, the former referring to the English partridge and the latter to the French one, being simply misheard. The second explanation suggests there was no partridge at all, and all there was instead is “a part of the juniper tree”. Either way, what we got now is a bizarre image of a partridge resting on a pear tree branch and bringing Christmas cheer. 

6. POINSETTIA

Originally coming from Mexico, this plant is now a renowned symbol of the Star of Bethlehem in the Christmas tradition. When gifted, it is also a sign of good will and community spirit. Despite being called “the flower of Christmas,” the colorful top part of the poinsettia isn’t a flower – it’s a modified leaf (called bract). The actual tiny yellow flowers (called cyathium) can be found clustered in the center of the bracts. Poinsettias aren’t always red - different varieties demonstrate an astounding array of colors, such as: white, cream, yellow, orange, pink, and purple. 

5. DOVE

Doves often appear in Christmas decorations, sometimes with olive branches in their beaks as a symbol of peace and forgiveness. The turtle dove specifically is a symbol of love - think of two turtle doves from the aforementioned Christmas song. The name stems from either the sound of its call or the pattern on its feathers that resembles a turtle shell. Ornithologically speaking, their presence in the Christmas tradition makes little sense. Turtle doves are migratory, heading off to Africa in the winter, so they are not even there for the Christmas time in the Northern hemisphere countries with cold winters.

4. MISTLETOE

The symbol of a Christmas kiss. The tradition probably originated around the 1500s in Europe. The custom was one kiss per berry; no more berries - no more kisses. The association with the romance is far-fetched, to say the least. In nature, mistletoe is a tree paras

ite, penetrating the tree and drawing on its nutrients and water. Its berries are poisonous to humans but serve as food for some bird species. Mistletoe-bearing trees die fast, but dead trees become home for cavity-nesting birds. Even the mistletoe itself often becomes a nest base. 

3. ROBIN

Robin is a red-chested bird from old Christmas cards. How did it get there? Story has it, Victorian postmen were wearing bright red jackets for which they got the nickname “robins”. This association then evolved into a series of postcard images of red-breasted birds delivering mail during the holidays. Eventually, the postmen association faded away, but the bird itself stayed on the holiday postcards and became a bird of Christmas.

2. CHRISTMAS TREE

The ultimate plant symbol of Christmas. Germany is the country typically credited with starting the Christmas tree tradition in the 16th century, and Martin Luther - with adding lighted candles to it. The decorations of those first trees were edible: gingerbread, apples, wafers, and sweets. Despite this uniform image we may have in mind, though, Christmas trees take different forms and shapes geographically. Where evergreens are not common, local trees step in, such as banana or mango trees in India, and indigenous Christmas Bush in Australia. 

1. REINDEER 

These animals have become closely associated with Christmas since the early nineteenth century. Both the male and female representatives of this species can grow antlers. Their diet is lichen-based. Reindeer spend up to 40% of their lives in snow, and their cloven hooves help them spread their weight and not to sink in snow or soft ground. Interestingly, Rudolf with its red nose is not entirely fictional! A fraction of reindeer - the species of deer scientifically known as Rangifer tarandus - actually have red-hued noses. The color stems from the densely packed blood vessels that run close to the skin surface! This physiological feature performs an important temperature-regulating function. Reindeer are nomads rarely staying in one place for long, which is probably why Santa chose them for traveling around the world. As for their flying ability, science has yet to provide an explanation... or proof. Until then, we will keep believing. 

Where the holiday magic ends, the reality begins. It is important to understand that outside the context of Christmas, each of these representatives of nature's kingdom is an essential part of their respective ecosystem. Some plants and animals are invasive or widespread. Others are endangered or on the brink of extinction due to climate change, deforestation, or anthropogenic environmental degradation. Either way, all of them are indispensable for biodiversity, food chains, carbon and nitrogen cycles, and natural balance of things. 

Nullker represents numerous eco-projects devoted to plants and animals (not just Christmas ones), or even entire ecosystems. Please support them! Let’s celebrate in harmony with nature!