I’ve always loved holly as a symbol of the yuletide season. (Maybe it’s because we had a lot of holly bushes around the house where I grew up.) The shiny, scalloped green leaves and eye-catching red berries look so festive when dusted with white snow. I had this motif in mind when I took these photos of different colored berries over the past month:

Red and green in Georgetown.

Orange and green in Arlington.

“Blueberries” in Arlington. These were growing on a fence next to an abandoned lot.

These berries remind me of some pieces from artist Irene Wood’s jewelry collection called “History and Industry.”

Little Olympia necklace made with painted gold, purple, silver and mauve wooden beads.

You could easily wear this necklace to brighten up a basic black sweater or simple gray dress.  I like to think that Mother Nature is doing much the same thing–using jewel-like berries to accessorize the bleak landscape in colder months.  (She’s quite the stylist!)

Necklace photo via irenewood.com