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| Mistletoe |
by Donna Hatch
The fun holiday tradition of kissing under the mistletoe
evolved over time, and like most holiday customs, has pagan origins. Ancient Celtic
druids saw the mistletoe blooming even in the middle of winter and thought it
contained magical properties of vitality. Some sources claim they thought the mistletoe
was the spirit of the tree showing signs of life while the rest of the tree
remained dormant and dead-looking. They completely missed that it is a parasite living off of trees.
Since they thought it had such amazing powers, they used it as a place to
conduct fertility rituals, and later as a gathering place to negotiate peace
between hostile parties. Husbands and wives made up under the mistletoe as a
way of sealing their renewed love and commitment to peace within the marriage.
Eventually, people moved sprigs of the plant inside. In some
locales of Europe and Great Britain, guests kissed the hand of their host under a sprig of mistletoe as
they arrived. Later, the working classes and poor classes developed a custom of
a maiden standing under the mistletoe, waiting for a kiss from a young man. They were expected to marry her within a year. English maidservants willing to accept a kiss from
a gentleman in exchange for money stood underneath the mistletoe indicating her willingness. The practice of
kissing under the mistletoe worked its way up to the upper classes, becoming
more of a parlor game or an excuse for behavior not normally condoned among
unmarried ladies and gentleman.
Today the custom of kissing under the mistletoe exists in most of Europe, Canada and America.
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| Holly |
Mistletoe is sometimes mistaken with holly but they are very
different. Mistletoe (pictured above) has soft, pale green smooth leaves and white berries; holly (pictured to the right) has bright
green ragged-edged leaves and red berries.
In my newest Regency Romance, The Suspect's Daughter, my bold and determined heroine does not need the help of mistletoe to kiss the elusive man of her dreams.
The Suspect's Daughter, book 4 of the award-winning Rogue Hearts Series:
Determined
to help her father with his political career, Jocelyn sets aside dreams of
love. When she meets the handsome and mysterious
Grant Amesbury, her dreams of true love reawaken. But his secrets put her
family in peril.
Grant goes undercover to capture conspirators avowed to
murder the prime minister, but his only suspect is the father of a courageous
lady who is growing increasingly hard to ignore. He can’t allow Jocelyn to
distract him from the case, nor will he taint her with his war-darkened soul.
She seems to see past the barriers surrounding his heart, which makes her all
the more dangerous to his vow of remaining forever alone.
Jocelyn will do anything to clear her father’s name, even
if that means working with Grant. Time is running out. The future of England
hangs in the balance...and so does their love.
The Suspect's Daughter is available now on Amazon
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