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People hold up a sprig of mistletoe and ask for or give a kiss at the holidays. Most of us know this tradition, but where did it come from? In Norse Mythology, Loki tricked the blind god Hodur into murdering his own twin brother Balder with an arrow made of mistletoe wood, being the only plant to which Balder was vulnerable. Some versions of the story have mistletoe becoming a symbol of peace and friendship to compensate for its part in the murder.
The Romans associated mistletoe with peace, love and understanding and hung it over doorways to protect the household.
From at least the mid-19th century, Caribbean herbalists of African descent have referred to mistletoe as “god-bush”. In Nepal, diverse mistletoes are used for a variety of medical purposes, particularly for treating broken bones.
Mistletoe is the floral emblem of the US state of Oklahoma and the flower of the UK county of Herefordshire. Every year, the UK town of Tenbury Wells holds a mistletoe festival and crowns a ‘Mistletoe Queen’.

In the Christian era, mistletoe in the Western world became associated with Christmas as a decoration under which lovers are expected to kiss, as well as with protection from witches and demons. Mistletoe continued to be associated with fertility and vitality through the Middle Ages, and by the 18th century it had also become incorporated into Christmas celebrations around the world. The custom of kissing under the mistletoe is referred to as popular among servants in late 18th-century England.
The serving class of Victorian England is credited with perpetuating the tradition. The tradition dictated that a man was allowed to kiss any woman standing underneath mistletoe, and that bad luck would befall any woman who refused the kiss. One variation on the tradition stated that with each kiss a berry was to be plucked from the mistletoe, and the kissing must stop after all the berries had been removed. People have reportedly been poisoned and died from consuming mistletoe.

One of the earliest references to mistletoe traditions in popular music is the 1952 hit “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus”, which was originally sung by Jimmy Boyd and has been covered by many singers. The song was written by British songwriter Tommie Connor and recorded in the US. The 1958 US hit “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree” refers to couples wanting to stop beneath the mistletoe. “Ring Out, Solstice Bells” from the album Songs from the Wood (1977) by British rock group Jethro Tull refers to the Druid Ritual of Oak and Mistletoe. In 1988, the British singer Cliff Richard released a popular Christmas song called “Mistletoe and Wine”. More recent Christmas songs referring to mistletoe traditions include “Merry Christmas Everyone” by Shakin’ Stevens (1991), “All I Want For Christmas Is You” written and performed by Mariah Carey (1994), “Underneath the Mistletoe” written and performed by Sia (2017), and “Mistletoe” by Justin Bieber (2011).

When Amaretto first starting doing Showhorses, one of the Holiday coats was the Chimera Brindle Show Horse. Beginning December 5, 2012 to January 4th, 2013 any bundle dropped from the breeding of any 2 Chimera Brindle horses had the chance at being a Chimera Brindle Show Horse.

The Chimera Brindle Show Horse could be randomly birthed by breeding together any two horses that had Chimera Brindle Coats of any color.

The Chimera Show Horse could NOT pass their coat.
However, the Mistletoe & Holly eye that came with it DOES have the ability to pass. So if you hold your horse with that Mistletoe & Holly eye in the air over your avatar can you expect a kiss? You never know! Happy Breeding