And Finally, Mistletoe!

Mt husband had an appointment for routine tests today at the VA in Huntington, which is about  2-hour drive down the Ohio River. I went with him because he was getting his eyes dilated. We both remembered that we'd seen mistletoe--lots of it--in trees along this route, so today we drove with our eyes searching the treetops.

Because it just isn't Christmas without the kissing ball being hung with mistletoe, right? My mother made one every year, and it is part of my many fond memories of Christmas. Some years back I made one for our home, and at first it held just plastic mistletoe. Then we discovered some close to home. But over the years the patch has dwindled and I've been searching for another source. Route 2 along the river is like the motherlode of mistletoe, but getting it is not so easy.

We noted locations as we drove today: that tree too close to the railroad tracks, those trees too far over a steep bank, those too close to houses and probably on private property. But we spotted one that looked possible. It was off the road a bit but still on the right0of-way, no houses nearby, and on level ground. Larry had brought along his shotgun but we didn't want to use it because it's very noisy and might upset people. So we figured we'd chuck rocks up into the tree and maybe knowck down a few bits--just enough for my kissing ball.

 We stopped on our way back, and lo and behold, there was plenty, right on the ground! Other tire tracks suggested someone else had been there, so maybe they dropped some.

Or maybe the extreme temperature changes over the weekend, along with some brisk wind, broke it loose. Some even had berries.

So once again my kissing ball is full of mistletoe, and hung in a doorway to catch the unsuspecting. It's these little things that make the season for me--the memories, and the traditions we keep alive.

Stop by, and maybe you'll get lucky and get a kiss!


Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

My Kissing Ball

It only took about 20 minutes to make this kissing ball. We don't have mistletoe on our land, but a mile up the ridge there is a tree that is full of the vine and berries. We called for permission, then Larry went out with his shotgun and shot some out of the tree--the time honored way to gather it in the mountains.

I did not have an embroidery hoop, even though I'd bought one over the weekend. The storekeeper evidently forgot to put it in my bag, so I had to find an alternate way to make my ball. I used 4 pieces of florist stem wire (only 96 cents for a good-sized package), shaped to form two hoops which I put together with florist tape. I used something like doublestick tape around the hoops, a product called Grip 'n' Stick that was for sale beside the florist wire, on the outside edges of the wire. This gave me a sticky surface that I could attach ribbon to.

I used 1" ribbon around the wires, then wrapped with other ribbon and beads, leaving long ends hanging after wrapping. Then I used a piece of red ribbon to for the hanging loop, attached the mistletoe with florist tape, and the ball was ready to hang.

It would have been much simpler with the embroidery hoop--simply intertwining the two hoops and wrapping them with ribbon and beads--but this worked too. If I'd had a wire coat hanger, I could have cut it and used it to make the hoops, but I'm fresh out after last night's wreath making!

The Kissing Ball

It was the same every Christmas.
The waxing and polishing finished,
boxes were carried down from the attic,
cardboard dark and fragile
reflecting the age of ornaments inside.

The last box held two wooden hoops
and a dried-up stem of golden-green —
the mistletoe ball, with last year’s sprig
still hanging by a ribbon.
Bad luck to throw it out at season’s end;
instead it must wait to be replaced
with the vibrant piece selected
for the new Christmastide.

My mother trimmed the ball herself,
wrapping the hoops with bright ribbons,
tucking in bits of holly, yew and ivy,
sometimes adding red and golden beads.
Then at the last, the mistletoe was hung
And adjusted perfectly
to hang between the winding greens.

When finished, my father hung the ball
In the dining room door as my mother watched
with teasing English eyes.
Always he was quick to grab her
and pull her tightly to him as they kissed,
entwined as the greens above their heads,
while we children watched with glee.

Their time is gone but ours is now
to make the ball, twine the greens
and hang the mistletoe in its gilded cage.
We’ll tell our families how once upon a time
in the days of war, a young American soldier
met a beautiful English girl and fell in love.
We’ll tell them how she made the kissing ball
and how we watched them kiss beneath it.
Then when we hang our ball we’ll say
“and they all lived happily ever after,”
and kiss under the mistletoe.

The Kissing Ball

One of my favorite books for this time of year is called The Winter Solstice, by John Matthews. It's a compilation of legend, lore and history about traditions. legends and lore of the solstice, and even includes a few recipes (my favorite is the one for Soul Cake).

The book also includes poems, and here's one I thought you might enjoy, by John Gay, written in 1713:

When rosemary and bays, the poet's crown,

are bawled in frequent cries thoughout the town,

then judge the festival of Christmas near--

Christmas the joyous period of the year.

Now with bright holly all the temples strow,

with laurel green and mistletoe.

Got your mistletoe ball up yet? The book gives directions on how to make one. My mother, who was from England, made a kissing ball every year, intertwining two circles and wrapping them with ribbons and greens before hanging the mistletoe in the center. The directions linked above to Martha Stewart's page are very different from the ball my mother made.

Mom took two or three circles of wire and put them together to make an open ball. She'd wrap the wires (or sometimes she used embroidery hoops) with ribbons and lace, occasionally adding small shiny ornaments or strings of beads for glimmer. Then she'd add a loop at the top for hanging and suspend a sprig of mistletoe in the "cage" created by the ribbon-covered wires.

I wonder if she knew just how ancient that tradition was. According to Funk and Wagnall's Standard Dictionary of Folklore, Mythology and Legend mistletoe has been believed to have mystical powers "since the earliest of times." The custom of kissing under the mistletoe is thought by some scholars to be linked to the festivities of Saturnalia, although others speculate that the tradition originated in Britain.

Sometimes referred to as "the golden bough" because of the color of the dried plant, it was believed by many cultures to be unlucky to cut the branches, or to let the harvested pieces touch the ground--rather it should be shot or shaken out of the oak or apple tree in which it grows, and caught or gathered on sheets held up to catch the falling pieces.

Wikipedia offers detailed information about folkloric beliefs and sources for stories and legends about mistletoe, and The Holiday Spot includes lore and a European myth about the origins of mistletoe's power.

I will wait a couple more weeks before venturing out to collect this plant for my kissing ball. Mythology aside, I just like being kissed!