Underneath The Mistletoe by Ed Crabtree ©2001      Your halls are decked with boughs of Holly, the stockings are hung by the chimney with care, chestnuts are ready to roast on a open fire, and everyone in your house is in hopes that Saint Nicholas soon will be there. Perhaps you have even strategically placed a sprig of mistletoe, somewhere in your home, under which the kids can say they saw Momma kissing Santa Claus. But wait, other than the tradition of smooching under the mistletoe, do you know the rest of the story of the plant? Did you know that the tradition was part of a pagan ritual that actually predates the birth of Christ? Did you know that Phoradendron flavescens (American Mistletoe) is a parasitic plant that can kill the host tree that it grows on? Did you know the berries and leaves could be poisonous to small children?      Now, before you accuse me of being the Grinch that stole your Christmas spirit, why don’t we take a fun look at the history of mistletoe?      The ancient Druids, of pre Christian Europe, highly prized mistletoe, especially mistletoe found in certain varieties of oak, for its supposed magical powers. Not only were the Druids of the belief that the plant would ward off evil, they also made potions from the European variety of the plant. These potions were said to have “cure-all” properties.      The Druids were a part of the Celtic culture that remains a mystery to this day. One intriguing aspect of these people is that although the Druids were no strangers to the written word, they preferred to pass along their doctrine, rituals, and heritage, from generation to generation, in an oral form. Mouth to ear if you will. Perhaps they did this to prevent their customs and history, from falling into the hands of their enemies. Whatever their motivation was for this practice, we know little of them to this day. During their occupation of Britain, the Romans kept written records, which tell us somewhat of the Druids. However you can be sure that the Romans were only allowed to witness and record what the Druids wanted them to see.      Among the Celts, the Druids were the authorative class. They would hold a festival around the first of November at which all crimes or disputes, would be brought before a solemn conclave for disposition. It was at this meeting that a sacred fire would be set. All fires in the region had previously been extinguished, and then ritually rekindled from this single sacred fire.      The Druids were also the educated among the Celts, being students of the natural sciences. They also were the keepers of the faith, their minstrels, known as Bards, traveled about telling the history, heritage, and morals of their people orally in poetry and song. These Bards as they were known, were said to be quite experienced in genealogy, and had committed to memory the “family trees” of many of the clans.      The common American mistletoe can be found growing on hardwood trees, such as Oak, Maple, and Elm. It ranges across the southern tier states west to Texas and northward to Missouri and New Jersey. Mistletoe can be very detrimental to the   health of the host tree as its leaves tend to block out sunlight. This denies the host of the   sunlight necessary for photosynthesis to occur. This is the natural process of converting light   to the energy that the tree needs for survival, in effect “starving” the host tree to death.   Other varieties of mistletoe can “bore” its tendrils into the host “sucking” the sap from the tree robbing it of its “lives blood.”        Mistletoe can be seen growing in large “clumps” near the top of the host,    or on limbs that offer the mistletoe a good exposure to sunlight. It has    become somewhat of a nuisance in parts of the United States, as it does damage the host tree, and can quickly decimate old growth trees, throughout an entire neighborhood. However in other locations, it is harvested and sold through farmer’s markets, as well as green houses and florists, during the Christmas season.      We are reminded of one story related to us by a friend, who was working at an outdoor antique/flea market. It seems that while at this show, he happened to look up into the tree that his truck was parked under, where he spied a large growth of mistletoe. He then ran to the nearest store and purchased a box of sandwich bags. On his return to the show, he climbed up onto the cab of his pick up truck, and cut a large quantity of the mistletoe. Dividing the plant into small sprigs, he packaged the sprigs in the sandwich bags, then offering these for sale to the general public. Can you imagine the humor of the situation, folks buying mistletoe from this guy, while standing under the same tree that the plant was growing on? They never looked up to see what they could have had for free. American capitalism at its finest.      In all seriousness, should you elect to hang some real mistletoe in your home, please make sure that it does not fall into the hands of your children. With proper use, the tradition of hanging mistletoe in a doorway or other location is a beautiful part of Christmas. And should you be lucky enough to catch that special someone under the mistletoe, be sure to have an extra smooch on us.      From all of us at The Message Tree, we would like to take this opportunity to extend to you and yours, a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year!