Kiss Me Under the Mistletoe

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Forbes calls it one of the "big four" plants you'll see at a mid-winter celebration, along with ivy, holly and evergreen trees (like Christmas trees and wreaths). Merlin gritted his teeth, finally managing to ignite the firewood in the hearth with the flint. "Yeah, I'd worked that out for myself." Merry Christmas, Lena,” Kara says, leaning forward until warm lips press against Lena’s cheek. Kara lingers there for a moment, Lena caught between the swell of feelings in her chest at the idea that Kara is kissing her, and the disappointment that Kara obviously doesn’t have romantic feelings for her if she’s only kissing her on the cheek while they’re under mistletoe. I'm fine," she demurred. "I was merely overwhelmed by the excitement. But I wish to return to the feast."

The women in both scenes were depicted as resisting the kisses but having to give in after being caught passing under the mistletoe. Historians have said that they would have believed they had to accept kisses from men or risk bad fortune. Exactly how serious the resistance was is hard to say based on documentary evidence, but Forsyth says there were several stories from the period that depicted women “using the mistletoe excuse to elude possessive husbands and parents” who might have otherwise prevented such kisses. So what, exactly, is mistletoe? The far-from-romantic answer is that it's a parasitic plant, which means it depends on another plant for survival. It's life in the midst of what seems to be death,"said Bruce Forbes, a holiday expert and professor emeritus of religious studies at Morningside University in Iowa. Upon their entrance, a hush fell over the foreign dignitaries. Heads swivelled in Arthur's direction. The noble ladies and princesses immediately patted down their coiffed hair and smoothed creases from their gowns. Everything he did was for Arthur, yet he thought Merlin was an idiot. It stung, knowing he'd never be seen as more than a clumsy, irreverent servant. Meanwhile, Arthur would go on to have beautiful blonde babies with a princess like Elwynne.But the main issue I had with the book was the writing style. I couldn’t stand it. It felt so muddled and incohesive at times. It’s so very English that sometimes when reading books that are so English it almost feels like it’s being written by an American or an AI if you asked it to write an English romance book. I mean who says supper? I don’t. I understand this book was written in 2008 but it felt so much older. Maybe 2002. The English slang was jarring. It was like for example in really romantic times it would be ruined by how over the top the writing is. The same with sad or intense moments it was just so English I couldn’t take it seriously. It was like it was almost written like a caricature. There was no room for emotion it was all ya want a cuppa and whatdya want for supper like it was something from Oliver Twist. So we can safely say this has nothing whatsoever to do with your toes. That plant you’re kissing under could be a …“dung-twig.” Celtic Druids believed that mistletoe contained the spirit of the tree in which it grew; this was the only part of the tree that stayed green all winter. Booming laughter, drunken giggles, and sounds of merriment soon filled the hall. The Yule feast was a resounding success, at least for the nobles. For centuries, mistletoe has been considered a plant that increases life and fertility. Celtic Druids living in the 1st century A.D. viewed it as a symbol of vivacity, since it remained green while other plants were bare during winter.

As for the roots of mistel, that etymology is obscure, though the word has cousins in Germanic languages. Because mistletoe can be spread through birds’ feces, it is possible that mistel derives from an obsolete, Germanic-derived noun mix, meaning “dung, filth.” Merlin's mood soon soured completely. Watching Arthur flirt with some trollops was hardly how Merlin wanted to spend the holiday. It didn't help that the princesses were undeniably beautiful. Not to mention voluptuous. They accentuated their curvature with rigid, whalebone corsets, supporting their bosoms at the expense of her lungs. Pale and gasping from the deficit of oxygen, it was no great surprise when one of the princesses fainted halfway through the Yule feast. If Merlin didn't know any better, he'd think Arthur was wrong-footed by his father's comment. "Father, that's not necessary. I take great pride in training him to work harder."And it can be found in all types of movies, ranging from Christmas staples like "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" to more non-denominational films like the Harry Potter series, and– wait for it– "American Psycho." Merry Christmas, Kara,” Lena smiles, surprised at how normal she sounds with all the feelings swirling through her right. She decides to leave her husband and the life that she no longer finds fulfilling, if she ever thought that at all and moves to Whitehaven, a large house on the top of the hill which reminded me of the house in the Sleeping Murder by Agatha Christie.

The joke was on Arthur if he thought his wordless threats were intimidating. At most, they provided Merlin with wanking material. Frowning, Merlin rose to his feet and turned. The last thing he needed now was for Arthur to have a strop. The cause of his pouting wasn't readily apparent, but Merlin felt safe wagering its source was some ridiculous perceived slight. "What's wrong, sire? Was your spiced wine too spicy for you?" Despite its romantic connotations, mistletoe is a parasitic plant with poisonous berries, that relies on other plants for its survival. But she’s a bit oblivious to this sort of thing and your flirting may be obvious to anyone who unfortunately has to witness it, but chances are she hasn’t noticed,” Sam continues like Lena hasn’t interrupted. “And it’s obvious to anyone who sees you two together, that she likes you too, okay? So just tell her and put us all out of our misery.” Lena sighs, she’s not sure how many more times she can have this conversation. Maybe she should just tell Kara how she feels so Sam will stop pestering her about it.Then perhaps even more interestingly is the story of the house's previous owner Laura, who had hidden a diary in the boathouse, and her story is revealed slowly in the form of diary entries. I found myself more eager to find out what happened to Laura and her love affairs, than the present day story at times.

The plant has also been tied to the Romans, who used it as a representation ofpeace, love and understanding and would hang it over doorways, historian Jane Vyer previously told the BBC.To be on the safe side, ask your florist to replace the real berries with imitation ones or use artificial mistletoe in yourdecorations. I had no idea it was such a burden to you," Arthur said in a haughty tone that made Merlin itch to put him in his place. "Most servants would be honoured by the chance to serve me." While historians are uncertain about why kissing under the mistletoe started, there is a general consensus regarding when and where the custom began, and how it became popular during Christmastime.