On a vineyard walk with Zephyr Adventures, this olive branch grabbed my imagination. I was taken by surprise when a very clear thought passed through my mind, “How beautiful, no wonder people like olive branches around them during the holidays.”

Having a vague notion that olive branches mean peace, I looked it up on Wikipedia:

The olive branch is a branch of an olive tree. In Western culture, derived from the customs of Ancient Greece, it symbolizes peace or goodwill. The original link between olive branches and peace is unknown. Some explanations center on that olive trees take a very long time to bear fruit. Thus the cultivation of olives is something that is generally impossible in time of war. ^[1] Another possible explanation is that olives are among the first agricultural crops and an offering of an olive branch is a way to establish peace and camaraderie through agriculture.

Picture taken at Quivira Vineyards, one of my Insider Picks.