1 00:00:04,120 --> 00:00:06,080 Speaker 1: Hey, and welcome to the short Stuff. I'm Josh and 2 00:00:06,120 --> 00:00:10,239 Speaker 1: there's Chuck and it's ho ho short stuff. You're on 3 00:00:10,600 --> 00:00:11,280 Speaker 1: short Stuff. 4 00:00:11,880 --> 00:00:16,440 Speaker 2: That's right. We're stealing one potential thing from our Christmas 5 00:00:16,440 --> 00:00:19,239 Speaker 2: episode just to do a Christmas style shorty to get 6 00:00:19,239 --> 00:00:21,000 Speaker 2: in the spirit of things. And we're gonna be talking 7 00:00:21,000 --> 00:00:25,000 Speaker 2: about holly today. Like you know, the plant, it's a shrub, 8 00:00:25,040 --> 00:00:27,880 Speaker 2: it can be a tree. It's in North America, it's 9 00:00:27,880 --> 00:00:30,040 Speaker 2: in Asia, it's in Europe. There are a lot of 10 00:00:30,040 --> 00:00:32,320 Speaker 2: different species and like I said, some can be little, short, 11 00:00:32,920 --> 00:00:36,600 Speaker 2: shorty shrubs. Some can be big old trees. But everyone 12 00:00:36,640 --> 00:00:41,560 Speaker 2: knows holly for those waxy leaves that will draw blood 13 00:00:42,479 --> 00:00:45,280 Speaker 2: and those little crimson berries that grow on them. 14 00:00:45,720 --> 00:00:48,240 Speaker 1: Yeah. But there's something about holly that I did not 15 00:00:48,440 --> 00:00:51,839 Speaker 1: know until I was studying was that they bloom in 16 00:00:51,880 --> 00:00:54,800 Speaker 1: the spring and early summer. Have you ever seen a 17 00:00:54,840 --> 00:00:57,120 Speaker 1: holly plant bloom white flowers? 18 00:00:57,320 --> 00:01:01,200 Speaker 2: I don't know. I My dirty secret is I don't 19 00:01:01,200 --> 00:01:04,360 Speaker 2: love holly just because it's so pointy and sharp. It's 20 00:01:04,440 --> 00:01:05,959 Speaker 2: almost like a thorn bush, you know. 21 00:01:06,400 --> 00:01:09,840 Speaker 1: Yeah. I have a big old holly tree outside the 22 00:01:09,880 --> 00:01:12,360 Speaker 1: house and oh yeah, it was getting a little thin, 23 00:01:12,480 --> 00:01:15,319 Speaker 1: so I've started to fertilize it twice a year, and 24 00:01:15,400 --> 00:01:17,560 Speaker 1: it is not fun to get under there and fertilize 25 00:01:17,560 --> 00:01:20,720 Speaker 1: the holly. Yeah, that's no good, but it is pretty. 26 00:01:20,720 --> 00:01:22,240 Speaker 1: And I love all the berries, and I love the 27 00:01:22,240 --> 00:01:24,319 Speaker 1: birds coming to eat the berries, and I love that 28 00:01:24,400 --> 00:01:26,440 Speaker 1: the birds love that. I love the birds coming to 29 00:01:26,480 --> 00:01:28,280 Speaker 1: eat the berries, and so on and so forth. So 30 00:01:28,319 --> 00:01:30,839 Speaker 1: I do have a special place in my heart for holly. 31 00:01:31,600 --> 00:01:33,800 Speaker 2: Well, we'll go for the most boring part of this all, 32 00:01:33,880 --> 00:01:39,200 Speaker 2: which is root words holly. It's a Christmas thing, obviously, 33 00:01:39,240 --> 00:01:41,160 Speaker 2: but it didn't come from the word holy, which you 34 00:01:41,240 --> 00:01:45,040 Speaker 2: may be surprised about. I wasn't. Old English will translate 35 00:01:45,080 --> 00:01:53,040 Speaker 2: it as holigan nice Old Norse, holf nice, Dutch, holste 36 00:01:53,760 --> 00:01:59,240 Speaker 2: nice French. What would that be, frenchie hoo hoo nice, 37 00:01:59,520 --> 00:02:03,480 Speaker 2: sound like you from Philly hagey. And then Welsh is 38 00:02:03,640 --> 00:02:04,800 Speaker 2: a sealin and. 39 00:02:05,280 --> 00:02:07,200 Speaker 1: Think that's how you say that, But how you say 40 00:02:07,800 --> 00:02:10,200 Speaker 1: I have no idea. There's only like ten people who 41 00:02:10,240 --> 00:02:12,280 Speaker 1: can pronounce Welsh German. 42 00:02:12,360 --> 00:02:14,320 Speaker 2: I know this one is stech Palmer. 43 00:02:14,800 --> 00:02:15,760 Speaker 1: Yeah, I like that one. 44 00:02:16,120 --> 00:02:20,799 Speaker 2: But it all probably comes from Proto Indo European languages 45 00:02:21,240 --> 00:02:23,880 Speaker 2: at the base which is q e l, which means 46 00:02:24,040 --> 00:02:25,240 Speaker 2: prickly or too prick. 47 00:02:26,160 --> 00:02:30,280 Speaker 1: Yeah, there you go. End of root word segment. 48 00:02:30,480 --> 00:02:31,760 Speaker 2: Yeah, wake up everyone. 49 00:02:33,200 --> 00:02:36,640 Speaker 1: So one thing I didn't know is apparently in long 50 00:02:36,639 --> 00:02:39,440 Speaker 1: standing tradition because this is Holly's another great example of 51 00:02:39,480 --> 00:02:43,920 Speaker 1: how you associate with Christmas. Christians have kind of adopted 52 00:02:43,919 --> 00:02:46,720 Speaker 1: it with their own kind of symbolism associated with it, 53 00:02:47,000 --> 00:02:50,079 Speaker 1: but it goes back way further than that, and it's 54 00:02:50,440 --> 00:02:52,760 Speaker 1: kind of from all over the place because holly grows 55 00:02:53,280 --> 00:02:56,959 Speaker 1: in not just Europe, not just North America, but Asia 56 00:02:56,960 --> 00:03:00,720 Speaker 1: as well. It's a really well traveled, well trod shrub. 57 00:03:01,040 --> 00:03:03,480 Speaker 1: Yeah that because it stands out so much in winter. 58 00:03:03,760 --> 00:03:07,919 Speaker 1: It's usually evergreen. Those leaves are unmistakable. The berries are 59 00:03:08,000 --> 00:03:11,000 Speaker 1: just so bright red against like a snowy background. Yeah, 60 00:03:11,160 --> 00:03:13,040 Speaker 1: it does make a lot of sense that cultures from 61 00:03:13,080 --> 00:03:15,000 Speaker 1: around the world and over the course of time would 62 00:03:15,040 --> 00:03:17,480 Speaker 1: have been like that. I'm going to drape a bunch 63 00:03:17,520 --> 00:03:18,880 Speaker 1: of symbolism on that plant. 64 00:03:19,200 --> 00:03:22,000 Speaker 2: Yeah, for sure. I think a lot of times it's 65 00:03:22,000 --> 00:03:27,360 Speaker 2: associated through like ancient cultures, with good luck, in this case, 66 00:03:27,360 --> 00:03:30,760 Speaker 2: good luck for men specifically, because for good luck for women, 67 00:03:31,440 --> 00:03:34,280 Speaker 2: ivy is that counterpart and if you've ever heard the 68 00:03:34,320 --> 00:03:37,400 Speaker 2: English Christmas carol, the Holly and the Ivy, that's what 69 00:03:37,440 --> 00:03:42,520 Speaker 2: they're talking about. Yeah, it is again a sacred plant 70 00:03:42,680 --> 00:03:44,600 Speaker 2: from the Druids. A lot of cultures thought it was 71 00:03:44,640 --> 00:03:47,440 Speaker 2: like good luck to put it in your house because 72 00:03:47,480 --> 00:03:50,240 Speaker 2: it's hardy and strong, and again those bright red colors 73 00:03:50,360 --> 00:03:53,200 Speaker 2: when it's harsh outside means it's got to be good 74 00:03:53,280 --> 00:03:55,160 Speaker 2: luck to put it on your house. But it gets 75 00:03:55,240 --> 00:03:59,840 Speaker 2: even more specific sometimes that it'll ward off lightning and 76 00:04:00,080 --> 00:04:03,800 Speaker 2: lightning storm. Pretty cool, it'll protect your house. If you 77 00:04:03,880 --> 00:04:07,200 Speaker 2: were in Rome, they would associate it with Saturn, so 78 00:04:07,280 --> 00:04:11,520 Speaker 2: it obviously came about during their Saturnalia festival, a. 79 00:04:11,400 --> 00:04:14,360 Speaker 1: Lot which has a huge influence on Christmas. That was 80 00:04:14,400 --> 00:04:17,520 Speaker 1: the Romans mid to late December winter festival. Yeah, so 81 00:04:17,600 --> 00:04:19,800 Speaker 1: they used holly and then when the Christians came around, 82 00:04:19,839 --> 00:04:21,520 Speaker 1: the Romans were like, you're not allowed to use holly 83 00:04:21,560 --> 00:04:25,279 Speaker 1: for your Christmas celebration whatever that is. Yeah, it was 84 00:04:25,320 --> 00:04:29,479 Speaker 1: banned apparently at least at first. And then, like you said, 85 00:04:29,520 --> 00:04:32,000 Speaker 1: the Druids also had their own thing going on too, 86 00:04:32,080 --> 00:04:35,480 Speaker 1: So this is all happening at different times. I mean, 87 00:04:35,480 --> 00:04:38,240 Speaker 1: the Romans would have been celebrating Saturnalia, while the Druids 88 00:04:38,279 --> 00:04:40,360 Speaker 1: would have been celebrating their own thing. I don't know 89 00:04:40,360 --> 00:04:42,720 Speaker 1: that one influenced the other. Yeah, I know that they 90 00:04:42,760 --> 00:04:45,800 Speaker 1: were connected via Rome at one point in time, But 91 00:04:45,880 --> 00:04:49,040 Speaker 1: I feel like the druids celebration and use of holly 92 00:04:49,160 --> 00:04:53,039 Speaker 1: in the wintertime was contemporaneous and not influenced by the Romans. 93 00:04:53,120 --> 00:04:55,560 Speaker 2: It could be wrong, though, all Right, I bet someone knows. 94 00:04:55,839 --> 00:04:56,720 Speaker 1: Yeah, I'd love to know. 95 00:04:57,600 --> 00:05:01,960 Speaker 2: You did mention some Christian symbolism. You know, anytime you 96 00:05:01,960 --> 00:05:04,840 Speaker 2: see anything red, generally in Christianity, that's going to symbolize 97 00:05:04,839 --> 00:05:09,360 Speaker 2: the blood of Christ from the crucifixion. You know, the 98 00:05:09,440 --> 00:05:11,919 Speaker 2: legend was that those berries were white, but then Christ's 99 00:05:11,920 --> 00:05:15,440 Speaker 2: blood stained them red as a reminder. And then the 100 00:05:15,520 --> 00:05:18,000 Speaker 2: pointed you know, the pointy points that I hate so much, 101 00:05:18,000 --> 00:05:21,720 Speaker 2: symbolized the crown of thorns during the Crucifixion, and in fact, 102 00:05:21,760 --> 00:05:26,400 Speaker 2: in German it is known as Christ's storn or Christ's thorn. 103 00:05:27,160 --> 00:05:28,120 Speaker 2: So that's pretty obvious. 104 00:05:28,600 --> 00:05:29,000 Speaker 1: Sure. 105 00:05:29,279 --> 00:05:30,159 Speaker 2: Should we take a break? 106 00:05:30,480 --> 00:05:31,160 Speaker 1: Yeah? We should? 107 00:05:31,279 --> 00:05:33,760 Speaker 2: All right, enough of that, let's talk after the break 108 00:05:34,520 --> 00:05:37,200 Speaker 2: about the plant itself. Right after this. 109 00:06:08,360 --> 00:06:11,120 Speaker 1: Okay, Chuck, you made a lot of big promises about 110 00:06:11,160 --> 00:06:13,840 Speaker 1: talking about the holly plant itself before the break, and 111 00:06:13,920 --> 00:06:16,880 Speaker 1: I feel like we have to deliver on them. 112 00:06:17,600 --> 00:06:20,799 Speaker 2: Yeah. I mean it's generally an evergreen, but not always. 113 00:06:20,839 --> 00:06:23,599 Speaker 2: It can also be deciduous. 114 00:06:23,040 --> 00:06:26,640 Speaker 1: Which is kind of weird. Yeah, how was that it? 115 00:06:27,000 --> 00:06:27,960 Speaker 2: Yeah, that's all I got. 116 00:06:29,000 --> 00:06:30,839 Speaker 1: The most of them are evergreen, though, like I said, 117 00:06:30,880 --> 00:06:33,359 Speaker 1: around the world, which is why people are like, I 118 00:06:33,440 --> 00:06:36,440 Speaker 1: really like that plant in wintertime. I guess that they 119 00:06:36,680 --> 00:06:39,400 Speaker 1: are good in shade, they're good in sunlight. They do 120 00:06:39,480 --> 00:06:43,680 Speaker 1: like well drained soil, and they are either a male 121 00:06:43,720 --> 00:06:48,839 Speaker 1: plant or a female plant, which means they're dioecious. Yeah, yeah, dioecious. 122 00:06:48,839 --> 00:06:53,800 Speaker 1: I nailed it. And the male plants and the female 123 00:06:53,839 --> 00:06:56,400 Speaker 1: plants both flour, which is how they pollinate. But only 124 00:06:56,400 --> 00:06:59,440 Speaker 1: the female plants are the ones that produce berries. 125 00:06:59,320 --> 00:07:02,200 Speaker 2: That's right. And you know they need to be close 126 00:07:02,240 --> 00:07:05,120 Speaker 2: to one another obviously for that production to occur, so 127 00:07:05,200 --> 00:07:06,839 Speaker 2: the male plant has to be near enough to a 128 00:07:06,880 --> 00:07:10,880 Speaker 2: female plant. Sure that pollination happens thanks to our little 129 00:07:10,880 --> 00:07:14,560 Speaker 2: bee friends, and also, as it turns out, well, not 130 00:07:14,560 --> 00:07:17,679 Speaker 2: cross pollination, but as far as you know, spreading that seed, 131 00:07:18,080 --> 00:07:20,680 Speaker 2: that's thanks mostly to birds obviously. 132 00:07:21,640 --> 00:07:24,560 Speaker 1: Well yeah, the birds like to eat the berries with 133 00:07:24,600 --> 00:07:26,520 Speaker 1: the four seeds in them, and they go poop them out, 134 00:07:26,520 --> 00:07:29,320 Speaker 1: and a new holly plant grows. Have you ever looked 135 00:07:29,360 --> 00:07:31,800 Speaker 1: down and seen a little holly plant sticking up out 136 00:07:31,800 --> 00:07:32,280 Speaker 1: of the ground. 137 00:07:32,640 --> 00:07:35,000 Speaker 2: Yeah, I stomp that thing out. 138 00:07:35,880 --> 00:07:38,200 Speaker 1: That means that had a bird poop there at some point. 139 00:07:38,440 --> 00:07:41,200 Speaker 2: Yeah, I'd never thought of it that way. I can 140 00:07:41,280 --> 00:07:42,960 Speaker 2: only think of it that way from now on, though. 141 00:07:43,240 --> 00:07:45,680 Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean it's true. There's really no other way 142 00:07:45,680 --> 00:07:46,160 Speaker 1: to look. 143 00:07:46,000 --> 00:07:48,360 Speaker 2: At You know, who doesn't like to eat those red 144 00:07:48,440 --> 00:07:54,440 Speaker 2: berries humans? Because it's no good for you. It's toxic 145 00:07:54,480 --> 00:07:57,400 Speaker 2: to us. I mean, I don't know if it could kill, 146 00:07:57,440 --> 00:07:59,160 Speaker 2: you'd probably have to eat a ton of those, and 147 00:07:59,200 --> 00:08:02,880 Speaker 2: you'd probably be vomiting long before you died, such that 148 00:08:02,920 --> 00:08:06,640 Speaker 2: you would say, hey, maybe don't eat those. But yeah, nausea, bad, 149 00:08:06,640 --> 00:08:09,120 Speaker 2: bad stomach ache. So don't eat those red berries, which 150 00:08:09,160 --> 00:08:11,120 Speaker 2: is you know, big for kids, because when you see 151 00:08:11,120 --> 00:08:12,800 Speaker 2: that red berry in your kid, it looks like something 152 00:08:12,840 --> 00:08:13,880 Speaker 2: you should pick off and eat. 153 00:08:14,840 --> 00:08:17,880 Speaker 1: It does for sure. Yeah. There's an old druid legend 154 00:08:17,920 --> 00:08:20,440 Speaker 1: that if you eat a holly berry it'll upset your 155 00:08:20,480 --> 00:08:25,440 Speaker 1: stomach pretty good. There's also I had not heard of this, 156 00:08:25,480 --> 00:08:27,560 Speaker 1: but there's something called birdline that you can make by 157 00:08:27,600 --> 00:08:31,760 Speaker 1: boiling the bark of a holly tree specifically, and it 158 00:08:31,920 --> 00:08:34,480 Speaker 1: makes the sticky substance that you can then take and 159 00:08:34,960 --> 00:08:38,200 Speaker 1: like paint onto the limbs of say a holly tree 160 00:08:38,280 --> 00:08:41,840 Speaker 1: or any treesy and it's so sticky it'll trap small 161 00:08:41,840 --> 00:08:45,840 Speaker 1: birds that alight on those limbs. I guess the only 162 00:08:45,880 --> 00:08:47,319 Speaker 1: reason you would want to do this if you want 163 00:08:47,320 --> 00:08:50,160 Speaker 1: to capture a bird, which you shouldn't be doing anyway. 164 00:08:50,600 --> 00:08:52,559 Speaker 1: But if you don't get to a bird in time, 165 00:08:52,600 --> 00:08:54,680 Speaker 1: the bird will starve to death. It's that sticky and 166 00:08:54,720 --> 00:08:57,600 Speaker 1: holds that fast. So it's illegal actually in some countries. 167 00:08:57,679 --> 00:09:01,120 Speaker 1: So please don't start making birdline because you heard about 168 00:09:01,120 --> 00:09:02,200 Speaker 1: it on this episode. 169 00:09:02,400 --> 00:09:05,080 Speaker 2: No, don't do that, But what you could do if 170 00:09:05,120 --> 00:09:10,959 Speaker 2: you're into carving things. Apparently the holly's wood is very hard, 171 00:09:11,000 --> 00:09:14,040 Speaker 2: great for carving, and a lot of chess pieces can 172 00:09:14,080 --> 00:09:19,319 Speaker 2: be made out of Hollywood because Hollywood, which I think 173 00:09:19,360 --> 00:09:21,800 Speaker 2: is kind of cool. Because I my friend have started 174 00:09:21,800 --> 00:09:24,880 Speaker 2: playing chess for the first time since probably high school, 175 00:09:26,080 --> 00:09:28,560 Speaker 2: because Ruby is in chess club and she's asked me 176 00:09:28,600 --> 00:09:31,520 Speaker 2: to play chess with her, so we've been playing every night, 177 00:09:31,559 --> 00:09:33,920 Speaker 2: and it's having a ball playing chess with her? 178 00:09:34,400 --> 00:09:36,000 Speaker 1: Is that why you picked this episode? 179 00:09:36,440 --> 00:09:39,280 Speaker 2: No, it's not why, but it's pretty interesting because I 180 00:09:39,360 --> 00:09:42,920 Speaker 2: was played. I dabbled in chess in high school. I 181 00:09:43,000 --> 00:09:47,120 Speaker 2: was never good or learned any strategy or technique or 182 00:09:47,120 --> 00:09:50,920 Speaker 2: took any classes or clubs. So it's all just intuition. 183 00:09:51,200 --> 00:09:53,600 Speaker 2: And so I'm basically at the point where she is 184 00:09:53,640 --> 00:09:57,800 Speaker 2: at ten years old and her kind of learning strategy 185 00:09:57,840 --> 00:10:00,400 Speaker 2: a little bit, and so we're like pretty evenly matched, 186 00:10:00,400 --> 00:10:02,319 Speaker 2: and it's just a lot of fun. Like I'm it's 187 00:10:02,400 --> 00:10:07,480 Speaker 2: opening brain pathways that I'd like, strategical pathways that aren't 188 00:10:07,520 --> 00:10:10,520 Speaker 2: tapped into very much for me. So I'm really digging it. 189 00:10:10,520 --> 00:10:12,720 Speaker 2: And for Christmas, I already threw down in like a 190 00:10:12,760 --> 00:10:15,800 Speaker 2: really nice handcarved chest set for us as a little surprise. 191 00:10:16,080 --> 00:10:17,880 Speaker 1: That's cool. How'd she get into chess? 192 00:10:18,280 --> 00:10:20,320 Speaker 2: Just chess club at school she signed up for I 193 00:10:20,360 --> 00:10:22,480 Speaker 2: have no idea why. Probably some boy was in it 194 00:10:22,480 --> 00:10:24,440 Speaker 2: that she had a crush on, would be my guess. 195 00:10:24,640 --> 00:10:26,880 Speaker 1: Has she She's like this is gonna make a bow 196 00:10:26,920 --> 00:10:29,600 Speaker 1: tie spin? When I joined, I think so? Has she 197 00:10:29,679 --> 00:10:31,080 Speaker 1: seen the Queen's gambit yet. 198 00:10:32,480 --> 00:10:35,760 Speaker 2: No, I don't know how much you get into that, Yett. 199 00:10:35,880 --> 00:10:37,959 Speaker 2: I bet searching for Bobby Fisher could be a good 200 00:10:37,960 --> 00:10:38,640 Speaker 2: one though, for her. 201 00:10:38,920 --> 00:10:41,280 Speaker 1: Okay, all right, we'll start with that. Make sure she 202 00:10:41,280 --> 00:10:43,080 Speaker 1: seems the queen's gambit at some point. 203 00:10:43,240 --> 00:10:43,600 Speaker 2: All right. 204 00:10:44,480 --> 00:10:46,559 Speaker 1: One other thing you can do with Hollywood, because it's 205 00:10:46,559 --> 00:10:48,880 Speaker 1: so dense and sturdy, is to create a walking stick 206 00:10:48,920 --> 00:10:52,000 Speaker 1: out of it. Oh and if you carve a walking 207 00:10:52,000 --> 00:10:54,840 Speaker 1: stick out of Hollywood and there's not a druid on 208 00:10:54,880 --> 00:10:57,280 Speaker 1: the end, throw it away and start over because you 209 00:10:57,320 --> 00:10:57,880 Speaker 1: did it wrong. 210 00:10:59,520 --> 00:11:00,240 Speaker 2: That sounds tad right. 211 00:11:01,080 --> 00:11:01,840 Speaker 1: You got anything else? 212 00:11:01,920 --> 00:11:02,720 Speaker 2: I got nothing else? 213 00:11:03,000 --> 00:11:06,280 Speaker 1: Oh, everybody? Then that means this happy Holiday edition of 214 00:11:06,320 --> 00:11:09,920 Speaker 1: short Stuff is out. 215 00:11:10,480 --> 00:11:13,360 Speaker 2: Stuff you Should Know is a production of iHeartRadio. For 216 00:11:13,480 --> 00:11:17,640 Speaker 2: more podcasts my heart Radio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, 217 00:11:17,760 --> 00:11:19,600 Speaker 2: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.