I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus by Cindy Regnier

Did anyone hang a sprig of mistletoe in a doorway this Christmas? We all know the tradition. A couple caught under the mistletoe must share a kiss. But what exactly is mistletoe and where did this tradition start?

Maybe you know that Mistletoe is actually a parasitic plant. In other words, it embeds itself into other plants (often trees) and steals its nutrients from the host. It can then multiply rapidly and infect surrounding trees, sometimes to the point of killing them. Because of its parasitic nature and the stories from Norse mythology, those in ancient times attributed mystical powers to mistletoe. Celtic Druids cut it from oak trees with golden sickles on the 6th night of the moon. They believed it to have life giving powers, bestow fertility, protect against poisons and ward off evil spirits. 

Mistletoe on a tree

The mythological story of mistletoe says the god of peace, Baldur, was killed by an arrow made of mistletoe but his parents Odin and Frigga restored his life and gave mistletoe to the goddess of love. Therefore, it was decreed that anyone who passed under mistletoe should receive a kiss.

Another story says that Baldur, grandson of Thor, was sure every plant and animal on earth wanted to kill him. His mother and wife asked for kindness from every living thing to leave Baldur in peace. Each agreed but just as Baldur was released from the torment, he felt a sharp pain in his chest and died. He had been stabbed by an arrow of mistletoe because his mother had neglected to ask the mistletoe for kindness. And so came the tradition “never forget the mistletoe!” We kiss beneath it to remember what Baldur’s mother forgot. 

Regardless where it started or why, early customs said men could steal a kiss from any woman caught standing under the mistletoe, and refusing was bad luck. Furthermore, a berry must be plucked from the sprig of mistletoe with each kiss, and the kissing stopped once they were all gone. It was very fortunate to find a sprig of mistletoe with many berries! 

In American culture we consider mistletoe a holiday decoration without realizing it dates back to ancient mythology. During the Christmas season we hang branches of mistletoe in homes and gathering places, inviting couples to share a kiss underneath. It has become a symbol of peace, love, and reconciliation during the Christmas season, not to mention adding a little fun and romance as well.

Scribbling in notebooks has been a habit of Cindy Regnier since she was old enough to hold a pencil. Born and raised in Kansas, she writes stories of historical Kansas, especially the Flint Hills area where she spent much of her childhood. Her experiences with the Flint Hills setting, her natural love for history, farming and animals, along with her interest in genealogical research give her the background and passion to write heart-fluttering historical romance.

HISTORY OF MISTLETOE

Have you been mistletoe-ing correctly all these years?

Mistletoe has white berries. When a couple kisses under the mistletoe, they are to pluck off one of the berries.

I never knew mistletoe had berries. The dried twigs of this kissing plant I’ve gotten in the past didn’t have any berries. Maybe that was the problem.
 But let’s travel back. Where and when did this mistletoe tradition begin?
 
The custom to kiss under the mistletoe dates back to Europe in the 1500s. This romantic act is rooted in Norse mythology, but the plant has had cultural significant far longer.
 
The healing properties of mistletoe was highly regarded by the ancient Druids around the 3rd century bc/bce and used to cure many aliments.
 
The whole kissing tradition didn’t come around until the middle ages from the Scandinavian people and stories of their Nordic gods, but it wasn’t a Christmas thing. Yet.
 
When Oden and Frigg’s son, Baldur, was killed by Loki using a spear made from mistletoe, Frigg decried it never to be used as a weapon again. Instead, it would be a symbol of love, and she vowed to bestow a kiss on anyone who walked under it. After that, arguing people would stand under it to reconcile.
 
So how did we get from Nordic mythology to Christmas?
 
The earliest mentions of mistletoe being used at Christmas was by Charles Dickens and Washington Irving in the days of Victorian England. People would decorate their homes with kissing balls (kissing boughs) made from evergreen boughs, ribbon, and mistletoe. If a young lady was caught under one one of these balls, she couldn’t refuse a kiss or she wouldn’t get married the next year.

Also, a berry was pluck each time a kiss occurred under it. When the berries are gone, so is the kissing power of the flora. So make sure you get a sprig with lots of berries for lots of smooching opportunities
 

FUN FACTS

~Because Mistletoe stays green all winter, it is often used as a symbol of renewal.

~There are 1,300 species of mistletoe worldwide. That’s a lot of kissing!
 
~Mistletoe grows in a round mass and can get up to five feet across and weigh up to fifty pounds.
 

~Mistletoe is a parasite that grows on the branches of other trees and shrubs.
 
~When a mistletoe seed lands on a suitable host plant, it puts down roots that penetrate the host and draws nutrition and water. The infested trees die early.

~Several species of birds and tree squirrels nest in the mistletoe balls or baskets as they are known. Butterflies depend on mistletoe for survival. While the white berries are poisonous to humans, a variety of mammals and birds feed on them when other food is scarce.
 
~One last bit of information: How mistletoe got its name. Ancient Anglo-Saxons observed that mistletoe grew where birds left droppings. Probably because birds ate the berries. “Mistel” means “dung”, and “tan” means “twig”, which equals “dung-on-a-twig.” Not very romantic.
 
Happy Mistletoe-ing!


The MISSADVENTURE BRIDES Collection
Love Is One of Life’s Greatest Adventures
Seven daring damsels don’t let the norms of their eras hold them back. Along the way these women attract the attention of men who admire their bravery and determination, but will they let love grow out of the adventures?

Zola’s Cross-Country Adventure, a 1904 road-trip. Zola Calkin sets out on an adventure to be the first woman to drive across the country. Will the journalist tasked to report her presumed failure sabotage her efforts? Or will he steal her heart?

#ChristianRomance #HistoricalRomance #Romance

MARY DAVIS is a bestselling, award-winning novelist of over two dozen titles in both historical and contemporary themes. She has five titles releasing in 2018; "Holly & Ivy" in A Bouquet of Brides Collection in January, Courting Her Amish Heart in March, The Widow’s Plight in July, Courting Her Secret Heart September, & “Zola’s Cross-Country Adventure” in MISSAdventure Brides Collection in December. Coming in January 2019, Courting Her Prodigal Heart (Book 3 in the Prodigal Daughter's series). She is a member of ACFW and active in critique groups.

Mary lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband of over thirty-four years and two cats. She has three adult children and one incredibly adorable grandchild. Find her online at:
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Historical Christmas Traditions We Don’t Question

Christmas is full of small mysteries, including a number passed down through history. Christmas traditions with little-known origins can seem lame -- even slightly deranged. Who first thought it would be a good idea to cut down a perfectly good tree and haul it inside to bedeck the floor with needles? Why, exactly, do folks find it romantic to kiss beneath a noxious parasitic weed tied with ribbon? And what’s with the stripes on candy canes?

Don’t get me wrong – I love Christmas as well as the next person. But I mean, really… Really? Let’s look into this, shall we? 

Where Did Christmas Trees Originate?

Martin Luther, the renowned 16th-century German theologian and scholar, is said to have started the Christmas-tree tradition. While walking home through the woods late one night, he admired the stars shining through the trees. Eager to share this experience with his wife, he cut down a fir tree and set it up in his house with lighted candles in the branches.

The first Christmas tree recorded is a sculpture on the keystone of a home in Turckheim, Alsace. The sculpture dates from 1576. Use of Christmas trees spread across Europe. It flourished in England due to the influence of Queen Victoria, who adored them.

Why Do We Kiss Beneath the Mistletoe?

British servants started the Christmas tradition of Kissing beneath the mistletoe, but the practice orginated in response to a legend in Norse mythology. The unromantic truth is that mistletoe is a parasitic plant that robs the nutrients of its tree host. However, in ancient times it was valued as a healing herb. Because the plant is evergreen, it was seen as a symbol of vitality.

Why are Candy Canes Striped?

The first candy canes, made about 350 years ago, had no hook, were white, and contained no added flavors. Legend holds that in 1670 a choirmaster at Germany’s Cologne Cathedral bent the white candy sticks to represent shepherd's hooks for the children who attended the church’s ceremonies.

The first use of candy canes at Christmas was documented in 1847 when August Imgard, an immigrant living in Ohio, hung candy canes to decorate a tree. By the early 18th Century, Christmas cards contained white sugar canes.

It wasn’t until the turn of the 19th Century that the white-and-red striped peppermint candy canes appeared. These weren’t used to commemorate Christmas until Bob McCormack from Atlanta gave them to his friends and family in the 1920’s.

Candy canes were made laboriously by hand through the 1950’s, when Gregory Keller of Bob’s Candies invented a machine that automated the process. This led to worldwide distribution.

Many believe that candy canes are formed to hold special meanings. The red stripes are thought to represent the blood of Christ, and the white stripes to symbolize Jesus’s purity. The three fine stripes stand for the Trinity. The candy’s shape resembles the first letter of ‘Jesus’ or a shepherd’s hook. The candy is hard like the bedrock foundation of the Church. Peppermint stems from hyssop, a Biblical herb symbolic of purity and sacrifice.

These meanings are nice to think about, but we can’t state them for certain. What we do know is that the candy cane, like the other traditional items we discussed, is an indelible part of Christmas.

About Janalyn Voigt

Janalyn Voigt's unique blend of adventure, romance, suspense, and whimsy creates breathtaking fictional worlds for readers. Known for her vivid writing, this multi-faceted author writes in the western historical romance, medieval epic fantasy, and romantic suspense genres.

Janalyn is represented by Wordserve Literary Agency. Her memberships include ACFW and NCWA. When she's not writing, she loves to garden and explore the great outdoors with her family.

Explore Janalyn Voigt's interactive website.

Another British invasion--Victorian influence on American Christmas Traditions

by Kathleen L. Maher

In a previous post, I wrote about New York writers Washington Irving and Clement C. Moore, and how their literary works shaped modern lore surrounding Santa Claus and stockings hung by the chimney... etc. But a significant influence on the way we celebrate Christmas today came from across the pond, and cemented many traditions still practiced. From Prince Albert's trees at Buckingham Palace to the decorations that made them twinkle and shine, to Christmas greeting cards, caroling and gift giving, we owe much of our festivity and merry-making to the Victorians.

The Victorians loved their music. Before the Victorian Age, the cost of pianos and organs would have been prohibitive in the home, but among the middle and upper classes a new opportunity arose to gather around parlor instruments and sing. Both secular and sacred, a new form of song arose in carols. The ancient English custom of the waits, traveling house to house singing for one's supper, transformed into a new and lighter-hearted wassail. Secular tunes were recomposed with sacred lyrics and sung in church as Christmas hymns. Silent Night, O Little Town of Bethlehem and Away in a Manger for example, retold the story of the first Christmas in song. But just as popular were songs like Jingle Bells and O Christmas Tree which celebrate the simple joys of the season.

Queen Victoria may not have originated such iconic associations as mistletoe or Father Christmas, but there was a remarkable renaissance of these charming legends during her reign. Gone were the days of Cromwell who choked out every reference to Catholicism with an iron fist, including gift giving, holiday feasts, and reverence for Saint Nicholas. Victoria and Albert seemed to relax old taboos and usher in an era of simplicity and celebration, particularly where it concerned the joys of children. Maybe this renewal was as much due to writers such as Charles Dickens, whose Pickwick Papers and later work A Christmas Carol depicted charity, dancing, banquet tables, family gatherings, and renouncing curmudgeonly behavior. 

The Kissing Ball, an arrangement involving mistletoe, holly, ivy, and berries, symbolizes the return of pagan evergreen symbols of hope of spring and life, and made its reappearance in the Pickwick Papers. One version of this charming tradition that had its roots in fertility rites, has couples picking a berry from the arrangement each time they kissed beneath it, leaving it eventually empty of fruit. Father Christmas' return from the ban imposed during the Commonwealth period came in A Christmas Carol. The Spirit of Christmas Present would have been easily recognized by any man, woman or child of England as Father Christmas, with his wreath crown, his fur robe, and his merry persona. Between Dickens' writings in England and Moore's in New York, the idea of Santa Claus and Father Christmas started to meld. Father Christmas changed his cloak from green to red somewhere in the mid-century and started placing gifts in stockings.

Yet another Christmas tradition came during the early years of Victoria's reign. The first Christmas greeting card was ordered in 1843 by Sir Henry Cole who commissioned artist John Calcott Horsley. His work was reproduced into 1000 prints and distributed to business associates and friends to wish them good fortune. 

In my Victorian Christmas novella, "Love Brick by Brick", English traditions collide with American folklore in 1857 New York. The aristocrat and the lowborn square off. Romance emerges amid music, popular literature, charity, and leaving aside pride and the failings of the past. Two people of vastly differing backgrounds find they are drawn to build a future together, tying the threads of the old in with new possibilities.

To celebrate the launch of my first traditionally published story this month, I am offering one of Barbour Books' gorgeous paperback copies of Victorian Christmas Brides to one lucky visitor. Random (dot) org will draw one winner on Monday, Sept 10. Be sure to leave your email so I can notify you. (US residents only)

To enter, answer this question:
What is your favorite Christmas carol or song, and what memories does it evoke when you hear it?

Kathleen L. Maher has had an infatuation with books and fictional heroes ever since her preschool crush, Peter Rabbit. Her novella "Love Brick by Brick", released in the 2018 Victorian Christmas Brides Collection, featuring her hometown of Elmira, New York. She won the ACFW Genesis contest in 2012 for her Civil War story The Abolitionist’s Daughter. Kathleen shares an old farmhouse in upstate New York with her husband, children, and a small zoo of rescued animals.
Follow Kathleen:
on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KLMaherAuthor/
on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Mahereenie
and on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/author/kathleenlmaher

Colonial New Years Celebrations

Susan F. Craft
Award-winning author of The Chamomile
A Revolutionary War Romantic Suspense

Until the year 1752 Colonial Americans celebrated the New Year on the evening of March 24. In 1753, based on the Gregorian calendar, they began celebrating New Year’s on December 31.

In the early American colonies, the sounds of pistol shots rang through the air, and colonists continued the traditions of their various homelands.

Scottish customs:

• In the 17th century, the government had suppressed Christmas celebrations, so Scotland turned to New Year's Eve for its end-of-year frivolity, called Hogmanay.
• First footing on Hogmanay: The first foot to cross a threshold after midnight will predict the next year's fortune. Although the tradition varies, those deemed especially fortunate as "first footers" are new brides, new mothers, those who are tall and dark or anyone born on January 1. The first person to enter a home after midnight on the first day of the year should be a male, preferably with dark hair. Blondes may have been associated with Vikings – visitors who never brought good luck. The first-footer should carry a gift, such as a coin for prosperity, bread for food, salt for flavor, or whiskey to represent good cheer.
  
• Hot Pot: On New Year’s Day, the Scottish drank spiced "hot pot” – their version of wassail—first a glass or two at home before sharing with neighbors. Young ladies would get together, prepare a large bowl of wassail, and carry it from house to house, sharing the warm drink with their neighbors, and receiving small gifts in return. This was called "wassailing."

Irish customs:

• Mistletoe was handed out to ward off bad luck, and single women put a sprig of mistletoe under their pillows in hopes of catching a dream about their future husbands.
• Pounding on the doors and windows of the house with bread was done to chase out evil spirits and ensure bread for the upcoming year.

Japanese customs:

• A full week before the new year, the house must be thoroughly cleaned, so that no evil spirits can linger.
• All debts must be paid, and all disagreements must be resolved and forgiven. Before midnight, 108 bells ring, to symbolize the elimination of 108 troubles. With no troubles, disagreements, debts, or disorder to contend with, all are free to welcome in the new year with expectations of peace and prosperity.
• The day after New Year’s is First Writing Day, when people write their hopes and dreams for the new year.

Chinese customs:

• Tangerines are often given for good luck, but odd numbers are unlucky, so the tangerines are given in pairs.
• The third day of the new year is the day the mice marry off their daughters, so people go to bed early, so they don’t disturb the mice.

Other Colonial New Year’s customs:

• Christian churches held "watch-night" services, a custom that began in 1770 at Old St. Georges Methodist Church in Philadelphia.
• It was customary to give small gifts on New Year’s Day, usually a capon (hen) or pomade made from an orange with cloves stuck in it and tied with a ribbon and dusted with cinnamon.

New Year’s Superstitions:

• It was believed that if New Year's Day opened with red skies, that the following year would be full of strife and debates between people, and that robberies would be common.
• Before eating breakfast, people would take turns opening a Bible completely at random. Then a verse would be pointed to on the two open pages. The randomly chosen verse was believed to foreshadow the events of the following year for the participant.