"The Holly and the Ivy"

As landscaping enthusiasts, we know that holly and ivy aren't especially closely related, right? So in the Christmas carol, "The Holly and the Ivy," why are they paired off in the title? Besides, if you take a close look at the lyrics to "The Holly and the Ivy," it's hard not to wonder how it is that the ivy came to earn top billing alongside the holly when, in fact, the former is hardly mentioned at all....

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