Happy Holidays! Mistletoe is traditionally hung in a doorway of a home to inspire merriment in togetherness during the cold, dreary winter season, as those who stand underneath are subject to others affection: hugs, kisses, and other gestures of love for humanity.

Hand on a nail or tack in the center of a commonly used doorway by the white string loop. White is to represent the winter snow or frost, while the reds represent the color of the sky around the solstice days.

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Phorandendron villosum

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In the Santalales order along with sandalwood, but in the Viscacea family, Mistletoe is common in the Cascadia Bioregion growing hemiparasitically on Oregon White Oak Trees  (Quercus garryana ). While the mistletoe does not kill the Oak, it does steal nutrients. As the leaves fall away in autumn, the large green bunches of mistletoe are revealed with their small white berries. The plant contains alkaloids that are poisonous for human consumption, but make lovely winter decorations. 

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Mistletoe Tradition History

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The exposed mistletoe of early winter is a reminder of the cold and potentially dangerous times ahead: late winter. Time to care for your loved ones, else the cold hand of death may rob them! The Druids held the plant protected against nightmares and helped to predict the future. Our modern tradition extends from the Greeks, associating the plant with fertility and so adored the Saturnalia altars. Also, a Norse myth has Frigga reviving her son Baldar from death under the mistletoe, deserving of a loving kiss.  

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