Under the Mistletoe

You know the moment in your favorite holiday romances—the couple finds themselves under the mistletoe, and they realize that, under mistletoe code, they are basically obligated to lean in for that kiss. And magic ensues when their lips lock. But how did the tradition of the mistletoe kiss start?

Well, there are conflicting reports about how it began. Some trace the origins to Norse mythology and the story of the god Baldur. Baldur’s mother, Frigg, wanted to protect her son, as all of us parents want to protect our children. However, instead of padding furniture corners and telling him to make good choices, she cast a spell to ensure that no plant grown on earth could be used to harm her son. The spell wasn’t foolproof, however, as it didn’t reach mistletoe, which grows out of a tree's branches instead of growing out of the earth. The mischievous Loki took advantage of this loophole and created a spear made from mistletoe, which he used to kill Baldur. Some say that Frigg, after her son’s death, declared mistletoe to be a symbol of love and promised to kiss anyone who passed beneath it.

Others say that the tradition is not connected to the story of Baldur, that the tradition has unknown origins but began in England in the 1700s. The phenomenon is thought to have started with the servants of the time. According to A Christmas Cornucopia: The Hidden Stories Behind Our Yuletide Traditions, “I can take a pretty shrewd guess that it involved a particularly lusty and inventive boy and a particularly gullible girl.” The popularity of kissing under the mistletoe grew, extending to all social classes. In the Victorian era, some considered it bad luck to refuse a kiss under the mistletoe. Charles Dickens wrote in The Pickwick Papers about girls running away and screaming and resisting boys with mistletoe until they finally accepted their kiss with “good graces.” (Obviously, this was a different time.)

However the tradition originated, kissing under the mistletoe is now a well-known practice, and everyone knows what you’re supposed to do when you find yourself under that sprig of green with white berries. But is it a fun kiss, a quick diversion? Or is it one of deep connection, of swoon-worthy intent? I guess that’s up to the kissers!

Have you ever shared a kiss under the mistletoe? Are you one who must stop with your loved one when you see mistletoe hanging from above? What was your most memorable kiss under the mistletoe?

I favor the Norse mythological origins of mistletoe as a symbol of love, so much so that I named the town in one of my small-town romances, Mistletoe! Memories & Mistletoe, an opposites-attract, fighting-to-save-the-town-from-developers holiday romance, is available on Amazon. You can read it, along with all of my holiday books, in Kindle Unlimited. Grab your copy here.