What is the big allure of mistletoe? When I was a kid, I used to scan the treetops after the leaves had just about all dropped off. What I sought was the clumps of mistletoe growing high up in the tree branches.

Getting it down was tricky. Birdshot fired from a 20-gauge shotgun was as good as any way I knew of to try. Or, I'd shinny up the tree and cut down the mistletoe. Like I said, I was a kid.

Nowadays, I still cast my eyes up to check out the treetops. A few trees in our neighborhood show clusters of something green in their upper branches. I just leave it be. My tree-climbing, shotgun-firing days lie in my past. But I'll never outgrow kissing my wife, mistletoe or not.

By Ed Lynskey
Twitter: @edlynskey

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