Why do you have mistletoe?

Answer 1

We have mistletoe because kissing is fun, and it is an excuse to romantically kiss your spouse or to daringly peck the cheek of anyone you'd like to catch standing under it!

Why mistletoe became associated with kissing and why it is found among our winter decorations is a more complicated story involving Gods (Odin, Frigg, Baldr) and chicanery:

Balder was a beloved God. He was the son of Odin (chief God, Allfather--father of Gods) and Frigga (wife of Odin, God of motherly love), and he was the God of innocence and light. When dreams foretold of Balder's death, Frigga extracted a promise from all on earth (whether animal, mineral, or vegetable) not to harm her Balder. Except she did not believe it was necessary to seek such an agreement from mistletoe, for it was soft and harmless, which did not make it seem a threat to Balder the beautiful. Unfortunately, an evil trickster discovered this fact and specially treated and sharpened some mistletoe which was then used to kill Frigga's beloved son.

Frigga decreed that mistletoe would never again cause harm. It became the one object on earth that represented peace and love. Enemies were to lay down their armaments if underneath mistletoe. The tiny white berries growing on the plant represented tears shed from causing the death of Balder. Some couples would remove one of these berries each time they kissed under the mistletoe until all the berries were gone.

Mistletoe was one of the evergreens brought into homes around the winter solstice celebration. Christmas celebrations came to incorporate many of the solstice merrymaking activities, and now we find mommy kissing Santa under the mistletoe--a harmless, fun custom to help us through the cold, dark days of winter near the poles.