Holly
2 of the 7 encyclopedias on this shelf carry an entry for Holly. Both are reproduced below, so you can see where they agree and where they differ.
An Encyclopaedia of Occultism (1920)
2026 Editor's Note: This page uses language about other peoples, religions, or nationalities that was commonplace when the book was published and is offensive by today's standards. The text has been left exactly as it was printed, rather than cut or softened, so that the historical record — including how ordinary such language once was — is preserved. (Ed: ET 2026-07-22) This name is probably a corruption of the word holy as this plant has been used from time immemorial as a protection against evil influence. It was hung round, or planted near houses, as a protection against lightning. Its common use at Christmas is apparently the survival of an ancient Roman custom, occurring during the festival to Saturn, to which god the holly was dedicated. While the Romans were holding this feast, which occurred about the time of the winter solstice, they decked the outsides of their houses with holly; at the same time the Christians were quietly celebrating the birth of Christ, and to avoid detection, they outwardly followed the custom of their heathen neighbours, and decked their houses with holly also. In this way the holly came to be connected with our Christmas customs. This plant was also regarded as a symbol of the resurrection. The use of mistletoe along with holly is probably due to the notion that in winter the fairies took shelter under its leaves, and that they protected all who sheltered the plant. The origin of kissing under the mistletoe is considered to have come from our Saxon ancestors, who regarded this plant as dedicated to Freya, the goddess of love.
Aiton's Encyclopedia (1910)
ornamental shrubs with evergreen or with falling leaves. There are not far from 175 species, represented in each of the grand divisions. The leaves of a South American species are used by the people of Paraguay for tea (mate). English holly makes a strong hedge and is the finest shrub in the world for decorative purposes. In his introduction to Canto Sixth of Marmion, Scott says: On Christmas Eve the bells were rung . . . . The damsel donned her kirtle sheen, The hall was dressed with holly green. It has been suggested that holly is from holy, being dedicated to festivities. American holly is a southern tree, growing up to fifty feet in height. Its evergreen leaves are oval with waxy margins and spiny teeth. The scarlet berries are about the size of small peas. We have inherited the use of Christmas holly. Delaware and Maryland supply the eastern trade. Western holly, packed in crates, comes from Tennessee and Mississippi by the car load. See Christmas