The Mistletoe Mystery by Sarah J. McNeal

Kissing under the mistletoe is a Christmas tradition that‘s been around for as long as I can remember. The obligatory kiss could be the start of something positively wonderful. Of course, mistletoe had to be avoided at all costs if someone you found obnoxious or repugnant seemed determined to get you under that poisonous greenery.

The question is, how in the world did this tradition get started and, of all the botanical choices for such an otherwise romantic tradition, why would a poisonous, parasitic plant be chosen to kiss under? Well here is some history into the mistletoe mystery:

Way back in the misty beginnings of human culture, some groups of people believed mistletoe had magical properties that had to do with fertility, vivaciousness, some people thought it an aphrodisiac. I’m wondering why humans came up with love remedies with the most contrary or repulsive things like raw oysters and now mistletoe to get their game on. No one ever said humans were all that logical though so let me proceed.

A Druid

The ancient Druids were among the first to attach a tradition with mistletoe. They believed mistletoe, especially the rare species that lived high in the branches of oak trees, must have sacred powers including healing powers, protection against nightmares, and could even assist in the prediction of the future. So, the Druids collected the toxic plant during the summer and winter solstices. They even decorated their houses with it at Christmastime even though they, of course, were not Christian.

Kissing under the mistletoe started in ancient Greece during the festival of Saturnalia and, later, it was used in marriage ceremonies since mistletoe was associated with fertility. The Romans would reconcile their differences with their enemies of war under mistletoe and would decorate their houses with it in midwinter to please their gods. I guess you can see where we’re going with the history of mistletoe toward our present day tradition.

Nordic Goddess of Love, Frigga

There is also a Nordic myth involving mistletoe that provides even more clues into the evolution of mistletoe as a kissing plant. Mistletoe was the sacred plant of the Nordic goddess of love, Frigga. 

Loki, Nordic God of Mischief

Loki, the god of mischief (I’ve seen enough Thor movies to get what our friend Loki was capable of) shot Frigga’s son with a spear or an arrow which some say was made from mistletoe. Frigga was able to revive her son under the mistletoe tree and, afterward, decreed anyone who stands under the mistletoe tree deserves not only protection, but a kiss as well.

Victorian Couple Kissing Under the Mistletoe

And now we come to the final movement in the evolution if the mistletoe and the kiss with the Victorian era. I just have to say here, for a bunch of prissy and restricted social norms developed by the Victorians, they sure did come up with some fascinating ways around all that prim and proper social etiquette. Just sayin’…

Naturally, the Victorians in England considered kissing under the mistletoe serious business. If a man’s kiss was refused, the girl was doomed not to receive any marriage proposals for the next year and many people would even snub their noses at her and make comments abut her ending up an old maid. Isn’t it funny how men always come up with something that is advantageous only for them? Some gentlemen would ask a kiss for each berry they plucked, but I think this is just a way to take advantage of those straight-laced Victorian ladies.

Foxy Modern Mistletoe Kissing

Anyway, today we keep the whole kissing under the mistletoe a bit more lighthearted. The couple gets one kiss if they find themselves under the mistletoe whether by design or by accident.

A final note…keep in mind that the mistletoe berries are poisonous and not for human consumption unless you want stomach cramps and vomiting. I wonder if birds eat those berries. If they don’t, how do they know those berries are poisonous? 

Sarah J. McNeal

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Pucker Up and Kiss Your Sweetheart Under the Mistletoe! By Cheri Kay Clifton

When Celia suggested we use a personal holiday theme for December, I thought about all our family traditions we celebrate during the season. First and foremost is our display of the Nativity Scene above the mantel and our decorated Christmas tree in the living room. Also we enjoy the popular customs like stockings and wreathes hung, candles all aglow, fruitcakes and cookies baked and shared, and oh yes, we never forget our well-worn elves on the shelves every year!

But there's another traditional decoration some folks display in their homes, including ours ... Mistletoe. What kind of plant is it and where does it come from, some may wonder. And where did the holiday tradition of kissing under the mistletoe originate?

Other than seeing mistletoe for sale in the stores at Christmas time, I’d never known much about it until after I was married and my husband pointed out the plants growing in the tops of oak trees along the roadsides. He reminisced about how in his youth, he’d climb trees to cut down the mistletoe and make wreathes which he sold door to door for extra money during the holidays. Because of that bit of nostalgia, we’ve always had a wreath on our door and/or a sprig of mistletoe hanging over a doorway at Christmas time.

Mistletoe is commonly found growing as a parasitic plant. There are two types of mistletoe. The mistletoe that is commonly used as a Christmas decoration (Phoradendron flavescens) is native to North America and grows as a parasite on trees from New Jersey to Florida. The other type of mistletoe, (Viscum Album) is of European origin.

The use of Mistletoe goes back to the times of ancient Druids. They didn’t kiss under it, but they believed the plant, especially a rare species that grew on oak trees, to have sacred powers including the ability to heal illnesses, protect against nightmares, and even predict the future. The Druids would hang the plant in their houses hoping it would bring them good luck and ward off evil spirits.

Mistletoe was also used as a sign of love and friendship in Norse mythology and that’s where it’s believed the custom of kissing under Mistletoe comes from. Mistletoe continued to be associated with fertility and vitality through the Middle Ages, and by the 18^th century it had also become incorporated into Christmas celebrations around the world.

Victorian England is credited with perpetuating the tradition of kissing under the mistletoe. The custom dictated that a man was allowed to kiss any woman standing underneath mistletoe and that bad luck would befall any woman who refused the kiss. One variation on the tradition was with each kiss a berry was to be plucked from the mistletoe and the kissing must stop after all the berries had been removed. Thus, the traditions which began with the European mistletoe were transferred to the similar American plant with the process of immigration and settlement.

So, how many of you decorate your homes with a sprig of mistletoe (real or artificial) and follow the romantic tradition of couples kissing when caught standing under it? Oh, by the way, I should mention that the plant is poisonous, so please, don’t eat it. Just Kiss!

A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS TO EVERYONE!

To learn more about me and my books, please visit my website: www.cherikayclifton.com

Oh, Tannenbaum

By: Peggy L Henderson

This post isn’t about anything western related, but since it’s December and almost Christmas, and since I grew up in Germany, I thought I’d explore the history and traditions about a classic Christmas symbol – the Christmas Tree. Where did the idea of bringing an evergreen tree into the house and adorning it with colorful decorations come from?

Long before the advent of Christianity, plant and trees that remained green all year, especially during the cold winter months were considered special to many cultures. They were considered to be symbols of life during a time when many plants were dormant or could not survive the harsh conditions. Many ancient people hung evergreens from their doors and windows to keep evil spirits and illness out of the home.

Legend has it that St. Boniface, a 7^th Century monk, used the triangular shape of the evergreen fir tree to teach about the holy trinity when he went to Germany to teach about Christianity.  In the early 16^th century, Martin Luther is said to have decorated a small tree with candles to show his children how the stars twinkled in the night.

Germany is credited with starting the Christmas tree tradition we know today. As early as the 16^th century, Germans brought trees into their homes and decorated them.  Some built Christmas pyramids of wood and decorated them with evergreens and candles. The early trees were biblically symbolic of the Paradise Tree in the Garden of Eden.

Queen Victoria, Prince Albert and their children

Most 19^th century Americans found Christmas trees to be strange and odd. The first record of a tree on display was in the 1830’s by the German settlers in Pennsylvania. Even as late as the 1840’s, Christmas trees were seen as a pagan symbol and not accepted by most Americans. In 1846, Queen Victoria and her German Prince Albert, were shown in a sketch in a London paper as standing around a Christmas tree with their children.  Since Victoria was so popular among her subjects, it soon became fashionable to imitate her, not only in Britain, but also the fashion-conscious East Coast American Society. The Christmas Tree quickly gained popularity, and by the 1890’s, acceptance was on the rise. While the trees in  European homes were usually no taller than 4 feet, Americans liked their trees to reach from floor to ceiling.

In the early 20^th Century, Americans decorated their trees mostly with home made ornaments, while the German-Americans used apples, nuts, and marzipan cookies. Popcorn dyed a red color soon joined the decorations, interlaced with nuts and berries.

Christmas also wouldn’t be complete without baking up a batch of Lebkuchen. Formerly called Honigkucken (honeycake), the Lebkucken is the German variation of gingerbread.

Here is a recipe my mother used to make her Lebkuchen every Christmas:

(Bear with me, as I had to translate this from the German into English)

Ingredients:

500g Flour

500g honey

3 tablespoons Cocoa powder

3 tablespoons Lebkuchen spice (a ready mix of spices including cinnamon, coriander, cardamom, ginger, mace, cloves, allspice, and maybe a few others, but you can cheat and use apple pie spices or pumpkin pie spice as well)

1 tablespoon baking powder

5 tablespoons  milk

4 tablespoons vegetable oil

 Sift the flour into a large bowl, and add all dry ingredients. Mix well. Mix the wet ingredients and slowly incorporate into the dry until the dough is smooth.

Pour dough into shallow baking pan lined with wax paper. Bake at 350 degrees (do not preheat the oven) for 30-40 minutes. Allow to cool completely, and cut into squares or use cookie cutter cutouts.

 

What are some of your favorite holiday traditions?

In my Christmas Novella, A Yellowstone Christmas, Aimee Osborne holds firmly to the tradition of a Christmas Tree that she grew up with in the 21st Century, even though she now lives in the 19^th Century with her mountain man husband, Daniel Osborne. Growing up among the Indians, he isn’t familiar with her traditions, but indulges her anyways. Here’s a short excerpt:

Daniel shook the snow from the young pine tree, holding it out to the side like a warrior holding a war lance. He planned to join the trunk of the tree to a base of two flat boards of wood and have the tree standing beside the window in the cabin before Aimee was awake. The warmth of the cabin would melt away any remaining frost on the needles.

He was sorry her plans had been interrupted the day before. His wife always looked forward to this time of year, and decorating her tree was one tradition she never wavered from. Daniel participated in the ritual because it brought such joy to Aimee, even if he didn’t fully understand it. As an added incentive for his cooperation with her traditions, Aimee always baked gingerbread on the day of her tree decorating. She’d been nearly beside herself with happiness when she’d seen the aromatic spice at the dry goods shop in St. Louis the first time he took her to the city four years ago. Along with nutmeg and cinnamon, ginger was one of her most guarded pantry items.