The ancient roots of mistletoe have nothing on the 19th century popularity of mistletoe. It was, for all intents and purposes, a great fad of Christmas.
It began with a poem, as many things popular with Christmas of the 19th century did. It was 1823 in a book titled “Italy” by Samuel Rogers. The poem was titled “Ginevra”.
The poem tells the horrific story of a young bride who got married at Christmas-time to a man named Lord Lovell.![]()
In a game of hide-and-seek held at the reception, the bride took off still in her dress – never to be seen again.
For hours, children and adults alike searched for the bride, but she was not to be found.
Before long the hours grew late and people started to leave. Long after the party had dispersed the bride’s father, her new...
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