Kissing beneath the mistletoe

 Kissing beneath the mistletoe is a common Christmas tradition today, but its roots go back thousands of years to ancient Britain. Celts saw the plant as a symbol of vivacity and fertility because it grew off of oak trees and remained green long after the other leaves had fallen each winter. In "Naturalis Historia," which was written around 77 C.E., Pliny the Elder noted that the Druids "esteem nothing more sacred than the mistletoe and the tree on which it grows" and detailed the fertility rituals that took place beneath the plant — rituals that had transformed into a simple kiss by the Middle Ages.