The holly is a reminder of Loki's perfidity = no that good a reminder, because it's mistletoe that Loki used.....

Liz--re: Xmas is just the abbreviated form, X being the cross.

I think you'll find that the "X" is the Greek letter chi, the first letter of the word "christ" written in Greek. That it appears to be a cross is merely coincidental.

Bloody spellchecker!! I'd written Chi, and it changed it for me!

LTS