‘Tis The Season
Here we see a cactus, a tree and some mistletoe fighting for a small spot of desert land. Contrary to popular belief, mistletoe is actually a parasitic plant and can kill trees that are heavily infested with it.
Wikipedia only has this to say about the custom of kissing under the mistletoe:
According to ancient Christmas custom, a man and a woman who meet under a hanging of mistletoe were obliged to kiss. The custom may be of Scandinavian origin. It was described in 1820 by American author Washington Irving in his “The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon”:
- “The mistletoe is still hung up in farm-houses and kitchens at Christmas, and the young men have the privilege of kissing the girls under it, plucking each time a berry from the bush. When the berries are all plucked the privilege ceases.”