"The Truth About Mistletoe..."

So did you ever wonder how mistletoe became associated with Christmas and kissing your beloved?

Well, first off, what is mistletoe?

Mistletoe is a parasitic plant that grows on trees and shrubs. It's a perennial flowering plant with specialized roots that penetrate the host plant to steal the nutrients and water it needs to survive. So basically, the vampire of the plant world.

Why Christmas and kissing?

It's complicated, the tradition of kissing under the mistletoe has multiple origins: 

Norse mythology

In Norse mythology, mistletoe symbolizes love. The story of Frigga and Baldur is often cited as the origin of the connection between mistletoe and a kiss.

Ancient Greece

The tradition started in ancient Greece during the festival of Saturnalia, an ancient Roman festival to honor the god Saturn.

Roman era

During the Roman era, enemies would reconcile their differences under the mistletoe, which to them represented peace.

Ancient Druids

Ancient Druids hung mistletoe believing the plant brought good luck and helped protect against evil spirits.

18th Century UK

By the 18th century, stealing a kiss beneath the mistletoe became a common practice among British servants and the tradition spread from there.

In some cultures, a kiss under the mistletoe is seen as a promise to marry. According to tradition, it's bad luck to refuse a kiss beneath the mistletoe.

So why at Christmas time?

Mistletoe is semi-evergreen, and so like other evergreens, it was used to remind you in the dark of winter that spring would soon return. As Christmas in the northern hemisphere happens at the beginning of winter, it became attached to Christmas and the rest as they say, "Is history!"

So now you know... weird huh!