"Oh, ho, the mistletoe is hung where you can see..."

A Very Vintage Christmas post #8

5 days until Christmas

Hello everyone! As you can tell from our Christmas countdown, we are in the final stretch. Only 5 days until Christmas! We are so glad that you have come back again to join us as we talk about a very special Christmas tradition today.

Viscum album, or what we more commonly know as mistletoe, is an evergreen plant that is related to sandalwood.

The most general and basic explanation of how it has come to be known as "the kissing plant" is because it is a parasite. It is a plant that has no roots of its own, but latches onto the branches of other trees and becomes a growth. It can be very difficult to find a real growth of mistletoe, especially in abundance. It can also be difficult to recognize in its natural habitat because it can take several years to "flower," and develop its characteristic white berries.

Mistletoe has been around for centuries. It goes back to the druids who would collect it and hang it up on door posts, believing that it gave good luck. They also associated it with fertility blessings.

In years past, as the tradition of hanging up mistletoe during the holidays developed, parties would go out into wooded areas to try and collect enough of it to form a ball or bush. Traditionally, it is gathered together and tied with a ribbon before it is hung above open spaces like doorways or windows.

During the height of the Victorian era, it was deliberately hung by young gentlemen in places where unsuspecting young ladies might stand. Tradition dictated that once a young woman found herself underneath a ball of mistletoe, she was compelled to remain there until she was kissed. After the kiss was exchanged, the young man would pluck a single berry from the bush. When the last berry was plucked, the kissing bough would have to be taken down, because that would signify that there were no more kisses left to be had.

It may have a simple history behind it, but mistletoe is certainly an interesting tradition. You can buy fake mistletoe and create your own kissing bough for your holiday party this year to have a little fun.

We hope you enjoyed today's post on this lovable Christmas tradition.

Join us this Sunday, December 22nd, for the last classic Christmas movie post for the season.

Until then, we hope that you have a very merry, and A Very Vintage Christmas!

"...somebody waits for you. Kiss him once for me."