Mistletoe

Published November 17, 2012

Large styrofoam balls may be found at Michaels Crafts

Mistletoe

Kissing under the mistletoe is a custom that has been around for many years. The mistletoe is still hung today at Christmas and the story is told that many young men have the privilege of kissing a girl who is standing under it. Each time a young girl is kissed, a berry must be plucked off the mistletoe and when all the berries are gone, the privilege of the kiss must cease.

I suppose in modern times we have forgotten the “cease kissing” portion of the custom however, it is still fun to continue the tradition.

The mistletoe itself is an evergreen that is often associated with the popular Christmas holly, laurel and Christmas tree. It is said that it is symbolic of the eventual rebirth of vegetation that will sprout in the springtime.

It can be difficult to actually find the “real” mistletoe evergreen, so for celebration purposes we often substitute another green.

Here’s a quick and easy version of a modern-day mistletoe that takes 30 minutes or so to assemble and is a pretty gift for someone hosting a dinner party.

Materials

Large Styrofoam ball (3″-4″ in diameter)
Pre-cut 2″ stems of fresh boxwood
Sharp pruning shears
Glue and glue gun
Ribbon for hanging
Small, white pearls (available at Michael’s Crafts)

Cut a 24″ piece of ribbon. Tie off the ends and attach a small wire to the cut ends. Insert the wire into the Styrofoam ball and glue to secure.

Clean off any dirt and residue off the boxwood. Remove any leaves from the bottom 1″ of the boxwood pieces.

Insert the pieces into the Styrofoam ball starting in one area and filling the ball completely. You should not be able to see the white Styrofoam at all.

Carefully glue on the small, white pearls in a random fashion all over the green ball. Be sure to space them out so as to give the appearance of white berries.

Hang your mistletoe from your front entrance hall light fixture for your guests to see.

*Did you know
The best greens to bring inside are cedar, pine and fir. These greens are best for indoor use due to their ability to dry slowly and hold their needles in warm temperatures.