While many of our Christmas traditions can be traced back to the Victorian era, many elements of the winter festival draw on ancient ritual reaching back into prehistory – in particular using evergreens in houses and churches

While holly, ivy, mistletoe and Christmas trees are used as contemporary seasonal decoration, history and folklore tell us they offer protection against evil spirits. Christianity later saw holly leaves as a symbol of Christ's crown of thorns and its berries his blood

The Victorians embraced these old traditions, spreading garlands of evergreens along mantelpieces, round columns and festooning sideboards with 'sprigs of holly in every available container ... decorating windowpanes and a kissing bough in the kitchen'

While red berries and evergreen foliage are universally thought to bring good luck, folk medicine advised ivy as a renowned hangover cure, while fresh milk from a cup of holly wood was said to cure whooping cough

Holly was also said to bring fertility, and mistletoe was held to be a powerful aphrodisiac – hence the kissing bough