Kissing under the mistletoe is mainly an English Christmas tradition that took shape in the 1700s. It draws on much older ideas of mistletoe as a symbol of fertility, peace, and good luck.

18th‑century English custom

The specific custom of stealing a kiss under a hanging sprig of mistletoe appears in England sometime between about 1720 and 1784. One of the earliest written mentions is in a 1784 English song/poem that describes people kissing beneath the mistletoe at a festive gathering.

How the ritual worked

By the early 1800s, party etiquette in England held that a man could claim a kiss from any woman standing under the mistletoe, and each kiss required plucking one berry from the sprig. When all the berries were gone, the “kissing rights” supposedly ended, which helped formalize and limit the custom.

Deeper ancient roots

Long before this, mistletoe had sacred or magical status among Celts, Romans, and other ancient peoples, often linked with fertility, protection, and peace. These older associations likely paved the way for mistletoe to become a romantic symbol once it was brought into Christmas and midwinter decorations in Britain.

Myths that get attached

Some modern explanations link the practice to the Norse myth of Baldr and his mother Frigg, noting that mistletoe appears in the story and that Frigg is a goddess of love. Historians point out that while mistletoe is in that myth, the connection to kissing and to Christmas is a later English invention rather than something directly surviving from Norse religion.

Spread and popularization

The custom spread from English servants and popular festivities into wider British and then American Christmas culture in the 18th and 19th centuries. Victorian literature and illustrations, including early editions of Christmas stories, helped cement the image of couples kissing under mistletoe as a standard part of holiday romance.