Mistletoe has white berries. When a couple kisses under the mistletoe, they are to pluck off one of the berries.
I never knew mistletoe had berries. The dried twigs of this kissing plant I’ve gotten in the past didn’t have any berries. Maybe that was the problem.
But let’s travel back. Where and when did this mistletoe tradition begin?
The custom to kiss under the mistletoe dates back to Europe in the 1500s. This romantic act is rooted in Norse mythology, but the plant has had cultural significant far longer.
The healing properties of mistletoe was highly regarded by the ancient Druids around the 3rd century bc/bce and used to cure many aliments.
The whole kissing tradition didn’t come around until the middle ages from the Scandinavian people and stories of their Nordic gods, but it wasn’t a Christmas thing. Yet.
When Oden and Frigg’s son, Baldur, was killed by Loki using a spear made from mistletoe, Frigg decreed it never to be used as a weapon again. Instead, it would be a symbol of love, and she vowed to bestow a kiss on anyone who walked under it. After that, arguing people would stand under it to reconcile.
So how did we get from Nordic mythology to Christmas?
The earliest mentions of mistletoe being used at Christmas was by Charles Dickens and Washington Irving in the days of Victorian England. People would decorate their homes with kissing balls (kissing boughs) made from evergreen boughs, ribbon, and mistletoe. If a young lady was caught under one of these balls, she couldn’t refuse a kiss or she wouldn’t get married the next year.
Also, a berry was pluck each time a kiss occurred under it. When the berries are gone, so is the kissing power of the flora. So make sure you get a sprig with lots of berries for lots of smooching opportunities
FUN FACTS
~Because Mistletoe stays green all winter, it is often used as a symbol of renewal.~There are 1,300 species of mistletoe worldwide. That’s a lot of kissing!
~Mistletoe grows in a round mass and can get up to five feet across and weigh up to fifty pounds.
~Mistletoe is a parasite that grows on the branches of other trees and shrubs.
~When a mistletoe seed lands on a suitable host plant, it puts down roots that penetrate the host and draws nutrition and water. The infested trees die early.
~Several species of birds and tree squirrels nest in the mistletoe balls or baskets as they are known. Butterflies depend on mistletoe for survival. While the white berries are poisonous to humans, a variety of mammals and birds feed on them when other food is scarce.
~One last bit of information: How mistletoe got its name. Ancient Anglo-Saxons observed that mistletoe grew where birds left droppings. Probably because birds ate the berries. “Mistel” means “dung”, and “tan” means “twig”, which equals “dung-on-a-twig.” Not very romantic.
Happy Mistletoe-ing!
THIMBLES AND THREADS: 4 Love Stories Are Quilted Into Broken Lives
Love Stitched into Four Women’s Lives
Enjoy four historical romances that celebrate the arts of sewing and quilting. When four women put needle and thread to fabric, will their talents lead to love? #thimblesandthreadscollection
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“Bygones” by Mary Davis
Texas, 1884
Drawn to the new orphan boy in town, Tilly Rockford soon became the unfortunate victim of a lot of Orion Dunbar’s mischievous deeds in school. Can Tilly figure out how to truly forgive the one who made her childhood unbearable? Now she doesn’t even know she holds his heart. Can this deviant orphan-train boy turned man make up for the misdeeds of his youth and win Tilly’s heart before another man steals her away?
Other stories in this collection:
“The Bridal Shop” by Grace Hitchcock, “Mending Sarah’s Heart” by Suzanne Norquist, and “Binding Up Wounds” by Liz Tolsma
THE DAUGHTER'S PREDICAMENT (Book 2 in the Quilting Circle series)
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Can a patient love win her heart?
As Isabelle Atwood’s romance prospects are turning in her favor, a family scandal derails her dreams. While making a quilt for her own hope chest, Isabelle’s half-sister becomes pregnant out of wedlock and Isabelle--always the unfavored daughter--becomes the family sacrifice to save face. Despite gaining the attention of a handsome rancher, her parents are pressuring her to marry a man of their choosing to rescue her sister’s reputation. A third suitor waits silently in the wings, hoping for his own chance at love. Isabelle ends up with three marriage proposals, but this only further confuses her decision.
A handsome rancher, a stranger, and an unseen suitor are all waiting for an answer. Isabelle loves her sister, but will she really allow herself to be manipulated into a marriage without love? Will Isabelle capitulate and marry the man her parents wish her to, or will she rebel and marry the man they don’t approve of? Or will the man leaving her secret love poems sweep her off her feet?
HEARTBEATS IN TIME – 5 books of Old West Christian Romance (4 novels and 4 novellas) by 7 bestselling, award-winning authors, including my book, The Widow’s Plight. You'll love these 8 unique stories of love! Get it here: https://amzn.to/2VzRBoI
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FREE PreviewThe Widow’s Plight (Book 1 in the Quilting Circle series) by Mary Davis
A single mother steps out of the shadows of abuse and into the sunshine. But will a secret clouding her past cost her the man she loves?
Finding Love In Last Chance, California by Miralee Ferrell
Dreams of My Heart by Barbara Scott
Hills of Nevermore by Janalyn Voigt
Heart of a Cowboy Novella Collection--four Old West romances by Susan Page Davis, Miralee Ferrell, Yvonne Lehman, and Vickie McDonough
#ChristianRomance #HistoricalRomance #Romance
MARY DAVIS s a bestselling, award-winning novelist of over two dozen titles in both historical and contemporary themes. Her 2018 titles include; "Holly and Ivy" in A Bouquet of Brides Collection (January), Courting Her Amish Heart (March), The Widow’s Plight (July), Courting Her Secret Heart (September), “Zola’s Cross-Country Adventure” in The MISSAdventure Brides Collection (December), and Courting Her Prodigal Heart (January 2019). Coming in 2019, The Daughter's Predicament (May) and "Bygones" in Thimbles and Threads (July). She is a member of ACFW and active in critique groups.
Mary lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband of over thirty-four years and two cats. She has three adult children and two incredibly adorable grandchildren. Find her online at:
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