{"id":110,"date":"2008-11-22T21:57:39","date_gmt":"2008-11-22T21:57:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/backyardcity.wordpress.com\/?p=110"},"modified":"2008-11-22T21:57:39","modified_gmt":"2008-11-22T21:57:39","slug":"mistletoe-or-not","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.backyardcity.com\/Outdoor-Patio-Blog\/mistletoe-or-not\/","title":{"rendered":"Mistletoe or Not?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"mistletoe1\"<\/p>\n

Have you ever wondered why kissing and mistletoe go hand in hand.\u00a0 Why is mistletoe forgotten the rest of the year and how did it ever become the symbol for kissing?\u00a0 Well, in order to understand its origin, you have to go\u00a0back to ancient Scandinavia — to custom and the Norse myths: “It was also the plant of peace in Scandinavian antiquity. If enemies met by chance beneath it in a forest, they laid down their arms and maintained a truce until the next day.” This ancient Scandinavian custom led to the tradition of kissing under the mistletoe. But this tradition went hand-in-hand with one of the Norse myths, namely, the myth of Baldur. Baldur’s death and resurrection is one of the most fascinating Norse myths and stands at the beginning of the history of mistletoe as a “kissing” plant.<\/p>\n

I wonder if it would do everyone some good if we kept it up for more than a season in our homes?\u00a0 Do you think this small gesture could make the world a better place?\u00a0 Would families pay attention to it?<\/p>\n

Now, for a crazier thought.\u00a0 What if it was hung in stores and office buildings and areas where hope is a foreign concept?\u00a0 And as people pass under it, they could possibly be the next winner of some prize that would make kissing strangers a big enough risk to take?<\/p>\n

I am probably a hopeless optimist that believes the human race has goodness just waiting to shine thru.\u00a0 I by no means am saying there are not kind, compassionate people in this world.\u00a0 I am speaking more in generalities.<\/p>\n

So, I ask again, mistletoe or not?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Have you ever wondered why kissing and mistletoe go hand in hand.\u00a0 Why is mistletoe forgotten the rest of the year and how did it ever become the symbol for kissing?\u00a0 Well, in order to understand its origin, you have to go\u00a0back to ancient Scandinavia — to custom and the Norse myths: “It was also the plant of peace in Scandinavian antiquity. If enemies met … Continue reading Mistletoe or Not?<\/span> »<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[10],"tags":[147,256],"class_list":["post-110","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-holidays-gift-ideas","tag-evergreen","tag-holiday-traditions"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2Nnyf-1M","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1958,"url":"https:\/\/www.backyardcity.com\/Outdoor-Patio-Blog\/the-proper-workspace-starts-a-garden-right\/","url_meta":{"origin":110,"position":0},"title":"The Proper Workspace Starts a Garden Right","author":"Sara May","date":"January 2, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"January is National Mail Order Gardening Month, and it's the perfect time to peruse those fabulous gardening catalogs to find favorite plant\u00a0varieties as well as\u00a0new and interesting possibilities.\u00a0 While you're waiting for your seed order to arrive, gather the necessary potting supplies: soil, compost, seed pots, trays, and whatever else\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Garden Tools & Tips"","block_context":{"text":"Garden Tools & Tips","link":"https:\/\/www.backyardcity.com\/Outdoor-Patio-Blog\/category\/garden-tools-tips\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Ready for Gardening","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.homedepotgardenclub.com\/media\/124251\/mailbox_garden_prop_heroImage.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1773,"url":"https:\/\/www.backyardcity.com\/Outdoor-Patio-Blog\/a-perfect-space-for-your-fall-plants\/","url_meta":{"origin":110,"position":1},"title":"A Perfect Space for Your Fall Plants","author":"Trey Collier","date":"September 9, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Greenhouses are great for gardeners looking to continue into fall. 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