Ann Austin Tribune staff writer.

At Nelson’s County Market the floral shop manager, Terezia Granholt, ordered a box of mistletoe this year. Each box holds only 10 plants. She has sold all but four of the plants so far and wonders why mistletoe isn’t as popular as the poinsettias. It is a smaller, more delicate plant with white berries and it does not have the bold colors and table-top demeanor of the poinsettias, but it has a colorful history.

Granholt has worked in the floral business for many years and recalls &uot;people did ask for (mistletoe) … but I don’t remember ever selling a lot.&uot; People certainly don’t use it like they used to, she said.

Mistletoe, now used on certain occasions to lure an object of affection into a kiss, was once held sacred.

Legend has it that when two warring armies of Scandinavian origin met beneath it, they stalled their battle until the next day; revereing the plant as the &uot;plant of peace.&uot;

The Celtic Druids believed it warded off evil spirits. Since it appeared to grow without roots (it is actually a parasite and runs its roots almost invisibly down the stem or trunk of its host), they assumed that it had been planted by the gods and they would hang it inside of their homes to bring good fortune.

In the Western hemisphere, Native Americans cherished it for its medicinal qualities and used it to cure toothache, the measles, and dog bites.

It is hardly regarded with such reverence now, but it is still viewed fondly as a part of the holiday season.

There are other traditions that are still being carried out today without any knowledge of their significance. Among them is the tradition of Santa Claus.

Santa Claus is viewed as wonderfully kind man, but there are some who are unaware of his namesake, Saint Nicholas. It was around the 4th Century, A.D. that Saint Nicholas was bestowing gifts upon others &045; long before Mr. Claus took up residence at the North Pole and trained reindeer to fly.

St. Nicholas was the son of a wealthy couple who died in an epidemic. He inherited a large fortune but was unsatisfied with the thought of spending it all on himself so, with Biblical principles in mind, he spent his inheritance on gifts for others.

But he didn’t want anyone to know he was giving the gifts, so he would leave them on the doorsteps. He was appointed Bishop of Myra (now known as Turkey) and, less than a hundred years after his death, he was granted sainthood.

Of course, Santa Claus was inspired and took over after St. Nicholas’s death &045; expanding his giving to the entire world since he has such excellent transportation.

Another holiday tradition, the Christmas tree, is a very accepted part of the holidays; most people have one and some have more than a few which grace their homes. It has become such a tradition that many people don’t even second guess why they bring trees into their homes, bedeck them with all very unnatural things like painted glass balls, Mickey Mouse figurines, sleighs made of popsicle sticks and 10-year-old candy canes.

The Christmas tree has its literal roots in Alsace, Germany, where they cut down evergreens and propped them inside of homes as a symbol of life or rebirth in the midst of death (the dark, cold winter). Similarly, the Scandinavians would bring in evergreen boughs to remind them that spring was sure to come again.

It is likely that people experience such warm feelings from the green life of the Christmas tree, the figure of Santa Claus and the charm of mistletoe, not because they still follow the ancient beliefs, but because these symbols bring the same message: One of light and hope and fond wishes in this cold and dark winter season.

(Contact Ann Austin at ann.austin@albertleatribune.com.)