About the Mistletoe.
The mistletoe is a shrub which grows or lives upon certain trees, such as the apple, pear, and hawthorn. It is found also on limes, poplars, firs, and sycamores, and, more rarely, on oaks—contrary to the popular belief. The white berries are full of a thick clammy juice by which the seeds are fastened to the branches where they take root. The mistletoe has been the object of a very special regard for centuries, and traces of this high esteem still survive in the well-known Christmas custom. One variety of this practice has it that each time a kiss is snatched under the mistletoe, a berry is plucked from the bush, and that when the berries have all been removed the privilege ceases. The Druids thought that the mistletoe which grew upon the oak possessed magical virtues, and they valued it accordingly. One of their priests in a white robe cut off the precious bush with a golden knife.