holly-lily

English

Alternative forms

  • holly lily

Etymology

From holly +‎ lily, after the plants associated with the two holidays.

Adjective

holly-lily (not comparable)

  1. (Christianity) Attending church during Christmas and Easter, and almost never for any other time of the year.
    • 2003 April 21, Adam Silverman, “Unfamiliar faces fill churches on Easter”, in The Burlington Free Press‎[1], →ISSN, page 3B:
      People who go to church only on Christmas and Easter sometimes are called "C and E" or "holly-lily" Christians, or even "Easter bunnies."
    • 2013 December 17, Rachel G. Hackenberg, “In Defense of the Holly-Lily Crowd”, in The Huffington Post‎[2], archived from the original on 20 April 2025:
      In church circles, when pastors and staff and church members plan for the Holly-Lily influx (printing extra bulletins, for example, or preparing the overflow room off of the sanctuary), the feeling is usually less than affectionate. To congregants who support the church Sunday after Sunday, Holly-Lily folks can be easily stereotyped as slackers who want a good church without the hassle of participation. To pastors who are exhausted from extra holiday sermons and services, not to mention the stress of preaching for folks who hear only two sermons a year, it can be tempting to see the Holly-Lily crowd's financial gifts as the only blessing of their attendance.
    • 2015 April 6, u/planecrazy11, Reddit‎[3], archived from the original on 20 April 2025:
      I've always heard of them as the holly-lily crowd.
    • 2021 December 24, “As a Christian who regularly goes to church: cristers (people who only seemingly go to Christmas and Easter services) are not a problem; you are welcome, you are wanted, you are loved.”, in Reddit‎[4], archived from the original on 20 April 2025:
      Ooh I’ve never heard Christers before! We call them Holly-Lily Christians where I’m from
    • 2023 September 25, @DavidBranscum, Twitter‎[5], archived from the original on 20 April 2025:
      They don't like the p word ["pagans"]. As a Christian, we refer to them as the holly lily crowd. They only show up on Christmas and Easter.
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