Whenever we think of the mistletoe, we think of the classic Christmas tradition of kissing whoever you find falls under it. However, there is a history behind it.

The mistletoe is a parasitic plant that grows because of bird droppings. The name of it comes from two Anglo Saxon words; “mistel” which means dung and “tan” which means branch or stick. Believe it or not, mistletoe is mostly found in warmer climates like western United States and Mexico despite being a plant that’s associated with winter. They can also be found from New Jersey to Florida. There are also dwarf mistletoe; they are much smaller than their cousin plant and are found from Honduras and Hispaniola up to central Canada and southeastern Alaska.

Now where does the actual tradition come from? It goes all the way back to the very first century. The mistletoe was worshiped and noted as a sacred symbol to the Celtic Druids. In Norse mythology, the mistletoe was a sign of love and peace. It is said that the god, Baldur, died due to an arrow made of mistletoe. As a result of his death, his mother vowed that anyone who found themselves under the mistletoe would be kissed by it as long as it was never used as a weapon again.

The short and sweet history behind the mistletoe led us to what we know it as today. It started as an actual Christmas decoration in 18th century England where people have been doing the same thing we do now since then. To this day, whoever falls under the mistletoe should probably be prepared to pucker up!