Mistletoe kiss: what it means and where it comes from
A mistletoe kiss is the Christmas custom that two people who find themselves under a sprig of mistletoe should share a kiss. It is one of the oldest and best-loved holiday traditions in the English-speaking world, and its roots run back much further than Christmas cards. Here is what it means, where it comes from, how it works today, and how to make a mistletoe kiss video from two photos if you will not be under the same roof this year.
What does it mean to kiss under the mistletoe?
Mistletoe is hung over a doorway or from the ceiling during the Christmas season. Anyone who stops beneath it, usually two people at once, is invited to kiss. In the traditional English version a berry was picked from the sprig after each kiss, and once the berries were gone, so was the privilege. Today the kiss stands for romance, friendship and goodwill, and couples often keep it as a small yearly ritual.
- Where: under a sprig or ball of mistletoe, often tied with a red ribbon, in a doorway or hallway.
- When: from Christmas Eve through the holiday season. Some families take it down after Twelfth Night.
- Who: two people who meet under it. Couples look for it; friends and family usually settle for a kiss on the cheek.
Where the tradition comes from
Mistletoe is an evergreen plant that grows on trees such as apple and oak and keeps its leaves and white berries through winter, which made it a symbol of life and fertility long before anyone kissed under it. The kiss came much later. Historians usually tell the story in four steps.
The Druids, 1st century
The Roman writer Pliny the Elder, in his Natural History, described Druids in Gaul cutting mistletoe from oak trees with a golden sickle and believing it could cure infertility and protect against poison.
Norse myth
In the Norse story of Baldur, the god is killed by a dart made of mistletoe, the one plant that had not promised to spare him. A popular later retelling gives it a happy ending, with his mother Frigg declaring mistletoe a sign of love rather than harm.
England, 18th century
The kissing custom is usually traced to the servants’ halls of 18th-century England, where a young man could claim a kiss from anyone caught under the mistletoe at Christmas. From there it spread to every household.
Irving and Dickens, 19th century
Washington Irving described the berry-picking rule in The Sketch Book in 1820, and Charles Dickens put kissing under the mistletoe into the Christmas chapter of The Pickwick Papers in 1836–37. Their books carried the custom to readers across Britain and America.
The early history is partly legend, and the link between the Druids, Norse myth and the later kissing custom is a matter of interpretation rather than record.
Mistletoe kiss etiquette today
The modern version is gentler than the 18th-century one. A few unwritten rules most people follow:
- It is an invitation, not an obligation. A smile, a hug or a kiss on the cheek all count, and no one has to kiss anyone.
- Hang it where people pass naturally, such as a doorway, not where guests feel cornered.
- Keep real mistletoe out of reach of children and pets. The berries and leaves can make them ill, so many people use an artificial sprig.
- For couples, it is a small yearly ritual: the first kiss under the mistletoe each December.
Apart this Christmas? Make a mistletoe kiss video
Plenty of couples spend the holidays in different cities or countries. With TryKiss AI you can still share the moment: add one photo of each person, choose a wintry or candlelit scene, and get a kiss video with sound, 5, 10, 15 or 30 seconds long. For the classic doorway version, choose "Write your own" and describe it, for example: "Under a sprig of mistletoe in a warm living room, Christmas tree lights glowing behind them, they look up, laugh and share a slow kiss." Start with the mistletoe kiss video generator, or read the steps for a two-photo kiss.
Northern Lights Kiss
Snow underfoot, winter coats and scarves, green northern lights overhead. The most Christmas-card scene of the 13.
See the Northern Lights Kiss sceneDinner Date Kiss
A dim, candlelit dining room with wine glasses on the table, for the Christmas dinner you cannot share in person.
See the Dinner Date Kiss sceneChristmas kiss video ideas
Pick the scene by the moment you want to send.
| Idea | Scene to use | When to send it |
|---|---|---|
| The classic mistletoe kiss | "Write your own": a doorway with mistletoe and tree lights | Christmas Eve |
| A snowy Christmas card | Northern Lights Kiss | Christmas morning, or as a holiday story |
| Christmas dinner for two | Dinner Date Kiss | Christmas night, when you would have sat down together |
| A cosy night in | Bedroom Embrace Kiss | The evening after the presents |
| Countdown to the New Year | "Write your own": fireworks over a city at midnight | New Year’s Eve |
How to send it as a Christmas card
A kiss video lands best when it arrives at the right moment.
Choose the photos early
Use a clear, front-facing photo of each person, of adults who are happy to be in it. Make a kiss photo for 5 credits first to check that both faces look right.
Pick the length and ratio
For a message, 10 or 15 seconds is plenty. For a story or a keepsake, choose 30 seconds with the Max quality. Pick 9:16 if it is going to a phone screen.
Time it for their time zone
If you live apart, schedule it for midnight on Christmas Eve or breakfast on Christmas morning where they are, not where you are.
Add a line of your own
A short note, such as the first place you kissed or where you will spend next Christmas together, turns a clip into a card.